Living For Your Love
by blue-angel45
Summary: sakura and syaoran are in the same school and both the center of attention. on the negative side, they are big time enemies in campus. li's bestfriend eventually falls for his female rival. so... hu gets the gurl? (COMPLETED!)
1. Mortal Enemies

so okay, this is my first CCS fic. don't blame me if you find that it totally sucks. i'm not very good in doing stories about characters from some anime (or manga) or game (rpg). heck, i don't think this story will be a hit to begin with. i've been doing my own reading and suddenly got this funny idea in my puny brain to make a ccs fic. it's crazy, let me tell you that. anywayz, this chapter is kinda long so spare me the rantings. 

Disclaimer: ccs isn't mine. period. 

Claimer: kinimoto sakura and li syaoran were both popular, both hot and wanted. wut happens when the two are big time enemies in campus? will they be able to be together in the end? read and find out. 

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CHAPTER ONE

Mortal Enemies

Kinimoto Sakura was a typical girl in high school. So okay, she's not exactly the typical type being pretty and popular, and smart and sporty. She wasn't very snobbish and wasn't really arrogant. As in, the Ms. I'm-better-than-all-of-you kind of girl. She was a girl of everything. And when I said "everything", I meant everything. She was rich and realistic too. Sakura was the center of attention, apple in the eye, and rose among the thorns girl. She impressed everyone who knew her... well, almost everyone that is. 

Despite all her unique personality and major eye-getting qualities, one person remains unmoved, completely the opposite of amused. That person went by the name of Li Syaoran, heartthrob and campus hottie. He was the type who was loved by every girl in campus... wait a minute! Let me fix that. [Backtracking...] He was the handsome type who was loved by ALMOST every girl in campus. And yes, it was Sakura who loathed him and so did he do so towards her. 

Sakura and Syaoran weren't exactly buddy-buddy even when both of them were really popular in their school. They hated each other for some reason neither of them would actually admit to anyone, not even themselves. Maybe they just needed someone to hate. Or perhaps they just felt like it for no particular reason at all. Those excuses were plain crap. Sakura was admired by boys while Syaoran was followed by girls. An equal reputation in campus. So, what's the big deal? 

~*~

"Are you going to cheerleading practice later?" Chiharu asked me as we walked down the hallway. 

"Yeah, why?" I asked her, wondering why she had asked me such. I had always gone to practice, I think. 

"Earth to Sakura?! Are you there? Have you actually forgotten that the soccer people have practice today too? Your good friend Li Syaoran will be there obviously," she said sarcastically. 

'Oh great. How stupid can I get? How can I forget that dumb asshole has practice today?' "Shoot! Why didn't you tell me like let's see... yesterday?!" I replied in an exasperated tone. 

"Like duh! I thought you kept a big note in bold letters stuck in your organizer saying: LI SYAORAN HAS PRACTICE TODAY. STAY AWAY AND DON'T ATTEND CHEERLEADING PRACTICE. You always told us not to bring him up anyway so what's the point?" Chiharu scolded me. 

"Fine, I'm sorry. I'm just so damn mad when I have to be near him! That guy doesn't know a thing about the right way to treat girls," I told her just when we met up with Tomoyo. 

"Looks like we were talking about Li just five seconds ago, weren't we?" Tomoyo started. 

"Oh, thrash that subject. Leave it some place where it can never come back," I said making my friends giggle. "Where's Rika by the way?" I asked, noticing my other friend's absence. 

"Home, sick in the dumps," came Tomoyo's reply. 

"I see. Anyway, let's go. We're going to be late for class," I added as I scurried off ahead of them when I... "Ow!" I exclaimed just when I realized who I had bumped into. 'Oh shit!'

~*~

'Ow! That hurt,' I thought and when I was about to scold the one who bumped into me, I stopped for a quick moment, allowing my brain to process the auburn hair and emerald eyes staring right at me. "What the hell?!" I immediately said as I noticed the person in front of me. 

"Lay off, Li," Sakura told me in a commanding voice. 

"Don't tell me what to do you shrimp," I talked back, annoyed by how she talked to me. I don't know why but the mere sight of that Kinimoto girl makes me sick. 

"Shut up you moron," she replied, practically glaring at me. 

"Go away, idiot," I said until someone cut us off. 

"Look, you guys could keep talking back and calling each other names if we weren't supposed to be in class right now," Tomoyo interrupted and the school bell rang. I sighed. Saved by the bell. Wait, that's wrong. Sakura was the one who was saved by the bell and not me. Of course not. Crazy thought. 

Tomoyo dragged that auburn haired girl away. What a relief. I brushed my dark brown hair with my fingers and decided to head for class. Unfortunately, my next class was with that Kinimoto bitch. Argh. Damn my luck. I walked behind the trio consisting of Tomoyo, Chiharu, and my all-time enemy, Sakura until we came to the classroom. The teacher was already there. I sat on my seat behind Sakura and ignored the fact that she was sitting in front of me. I tried to focus myself to class and not 'that' girl. Darn it. 

~*~

After class, I proceeded to the field where our cheerleading practice was to be held for today. Of course, I had gone to the lockers to get changed into something more comfortable than my school uniform. I got dressed in a pink midriff and black skintight shorts with my rubber shoes to go. 

I made my way to the field like I had planned and saw not everyone was there yet. I was early as usual. The soccer varsity had started their practice with a few drills. There I spotted a certain brown haired guy doing passes with his partner and bestfriend, Hiiragizawa Eriol. He caught me looking at him so I laid my sight on some other place. Why was I watching that moron anyway? It's a total waste of time. The only reason we had to come out here to the field is because the gym was occupied today. 

I turned around and started to do some stretching. It's better than watching those guys practice, especially watch 'that' guy do soccer. I exercised for a little while and then began doing a series of somersaults afterwards. Soon, the other members started to come and gather around. It was then when we started our practice. Doing stretching to start off then we started our routines. We practiced, trying our best not to make a mistake with our moves. In the middle of our practice, I would at times steal a couple of glances over at the soccer varsity. I just couldn't help it. 

~*~

"Hey, I noticed that Kinimoto girl keeps looking over here," Eriol said. 

"Let her do what she wants. Leave me out of it," I said when our coach told us to get a five-minute break. 

"Come on. She can't be that bad. I don't even understand why you're so mad at her," Eriol replied as both of us sat down on the benches. 

"Well, the fact is, she is all that bad. She's crazy and is no more than the usual popular-wannabe in school," I answered as I took a drink from my bottled water. "Just shut up about her. I'm fed up with her acting so annoying."

"What made you say that she's annoying?" Eriol asked me. 

I stared at him for a moment there. No answer came out from my mouth. What was so annoying about her? "She's just annoying. That's it alright? Now, quit it before I get pissed off," I retorted as my sight trailed off to the cheerleading squad. Watching them repeat tons of complicated moves made me dizzy that I had to look away at once. 

"Whatever you say, Syaoran," Eriol rolled his eyes as he grinned at me. 

What? I hated it when Eriol gave me that look. The glint in his eyes told me he had something in mind. I turned to the cheerleading squad once again and watched them do their stuff. It was stupid, believe me. Kinimoto Sakura, my worst nightmare. 

~*~ 

After practice, I went home straight with the company of Tomoyo. I rode on her cool Mercedes. She was rich and designed all her clothes. We usually went to the mall and swept most of it away with us. Well, in Tomoyo's case, she always bought accessories and shoes. She rarely had to buy clothes because she made her own like I said so earlier. 

Tomoyo drove me home. Actually, she had a driver to bring us to my house. Her parents didn't want her to drive yet. They were way overprotective of Tomoyo. I didn't have my car with me because it was being used by a very obnoxious brother of mine. He had his own car so why bother to borrow mine? He had a Ferrari for Christ's sake! When Tomoyo and I arrived by my house, which some would refer to as a mansion (they should see Tomoyo's 'house'), we got off as soon as the car was parked by the drive-in pathway. 

We entered my house and found that my dad was on one of the phone lines. Probably trying to get some dumb hoe to agree to some money-getting deal. It amazed me on how good my father was with this. Anyway, Tomoyo and I went to my room. It was cute, walls painted cream with pictures of cherry blossoms, carpeted floor, and the windows had pink chiffon cloth hanging over them as curtains. 

Tomoyo and I got a seat on my ever-so pink mattress and we started to talk about things. Today's topic: GUYS.

~*~

I got on my Diablo (rather unrealistic for a teenager to own though) with Eriol riding on the other seat beside me. I was exhausted! I turned the car on and ran through the road until I got home. Man, was my ride great or what? 16 cylinder, could you believe how fast I could actually go?! Anyway, back to reality. My friend Eriol here and I were talking during the ride. 

"So, are you actually planning to get a girlfriend, Mr. I'm-the-best-guy-on-Earth?" Eriol asked me with a grin. 

"Stop grinning, idiot. I can get a girlfriend whenever, wherever," I told him assuringly. "It's not like I'm the only guy around who doesn't have a girlfriend YET," I eyed at him with my look-who's-talking look (huh?). 

"Hey, I'm going to get one. Just a little teasing with the girl I want and she's mine just like that. Bet you can't imagine who I find nice," Eriol replied.

"Oh yeah? Let's see then. Kayame Tsubari? She's great-looking man. You've got to be after her," I said. 

"Nah. Much prettier," Eriol remarked. 

I tried to figure it out but I just couldn't get it quite right. Who could it be anyway? So, I decided to make him tell me. After all, I didn't like not knowing secrets, especially one from my best bud. "Just spit it out already," I told him. 

"You will never believe me," Eriol answered and refused to tell me who. 

"Just tell me. Come on. It's not like she's THAT bad," I insisted. 

"Well, fact is, she is that bad," said Eriol with a smile. Now, where did I hear that before? Oh no...

"No way!!! You CANNOT have a thing for Kinimoto!" I exclaimed as I quickly pulled over. 

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no flames plz. juz a newbie to this stuff. i know it's kinda dumb but wut can i say? i suck. damn. by the way, wut do you think about the story? it's kinda lame if you ask me. i'm not sure if i set everything in the right place. juz tell me wut you think k? that would really mean a lot. REVIEWZ are encouraged and desperately needed. not that i'm a desperate writer, i would simply want to see wut people think of my work. thanks a bunch for stopping by! ;p


	2. Eriol gets the Girl

eya! second chappie! i'm glad pipol reviewed the first chap. *sigh* first time for me that people actually found the plot nice. *clap clap* anywayz, who do you think should sakura end up with??? eh? syaoran or eriol??? wut do you think? i've already got someone in mind but i won't tell it juz yet. juz tell me if you have any suggestions or ideas, k? anywayz, this is the 2nd chapter already. hope you enjoy! i worked my ass off it last night. ha! i did it! i'm still alive! 

Disclaimer: 

blue-angel: i'm not even gonna say it. hmph. 

alex'z death chic: juz say it.

blue-angel: i won't say it. 

alex'z death chic: dammit! juz spit it out!

blue-angel: ok ok. i d...d...don't own c...c...s... waaaahhhh!!!!

alex'z death chic: *evil laugh*

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CHAPTER TWO

Eriol Gets the Girl

The next day, Sakura went to school using her own car at last. Her beautiful white Porsche was all she needed to brighten her day, or so she thinks it would. She got her car on her parking space and climbed off then headed inside the school building. Something was weird though. People were rustling about, chattering things about something, or someone. Sakura became suspicious. What the heck was going on first thing in the morning?

~*~

"Sakura, did you hear?" Chiharu said excitedly the minute she saw me. I simply raised my eyebrow at her in confusion. "I can't believe it! Someone wants to ask you out! Guess who he is," Chiharu added without a slight loss of her energy. She was hyper, I could tell. Tomoyo walked up to us and was wondering why people were acting quite strangely as well. 

"What's going on? The people are acting quite odd today," Tomoyo said. 

"That's what I was just about to say! Rumor has it that Eriol wants to take Sakura on a date!" Chiharu finally got it out... wait a second here... What?!?! 

"Did I just hear you correctly?" I retorted. "The lame-o's best bud wants to ask me out?" I tried to confirm it. This could not have been happening, could it? I didn't know why but what the heck was going on in this world these days? Hiiragizawa Eriol wants to ask me out then. So what? "Chiharu, you must be joking. That's crazy, you know. Besides, it's just another dumb rumor that's not even true," I added. 

"I'm serious. The guy said it himself. He likes you. Everyone was talking about it just a while ago. Syaoran was totally against it but what could he do about it? It's his best friend he's talking to," Chiharu told us. 

Chiharu flashback:

Eriol was walking through the corridors with a big smile on his face. Everyone figured something was up. When Eriol's gentle exterior shifts to either a grin or a big smile, something is definitely up. I was standing there watching him and Syaoran make a fuss about something. People were watching them as well so I decided to eavesdrop like all the others were doing so themselves. 

"I think she's a really nice girl. Just leave me on my own. I have my own taste with women, you know," Eriol told Syaoran.

"Come on! You desperately need my help! You can't have feelings for that--that-- Kinimoto girl!" Syaoran exclaimed, obviously irritated by his friend's words. Everyone stared at them with mouths agape. "Look, you're my best bud and I won't let you get into Sakura! There are way better girls out there," Syaoran continued.

"What girls? I don't see even one of the girls you're talking about. That's the reason I'm going to ask her out," Eriol replied. Syaoran stood still in disbelief. People started to talk in whispers. What's with the whispering? It's so obvious that they're talking about Eriol and Sakura. Sheesh.

"No way! Sakura isn't pretty! She's just a full-fledged bitch!" Syaoran insisted making everyone stare at them badly. 

"I'm going to judge her for myself alright? Come on. It's me and not you. I like her and so what? You're acting like you're actually-- jealous," Eriol said, causing Syaoran to pause. "Are you?" Eriol questioned him. 

"Me? Jealous? Why should I be? Eriol, you've really gone overboard. I pity you for falling for 'her' of all people. Man, you're crazy!" Syaoran spoke up again. 

"Well at least I know you DON'T have feelings for her as well. Good for both of us then. I will ask her out on a date and that's final. No one, not even you, can do anything about it," Eriol told him and started to walk by again.

End of Flashback.

"Sakura, don't you think he's sweet?" Tomoyo asked me, teasingly. 

"Yeah, I think so too. But that Syaoran has really gone too far! Calling me a full-fledged bitch and all. He's so stupid! I wish he rots in hell," I replied, imagining that fat asshole's face. The nerve of that guy thinking he's the king of the world! Like woah, if he's the king of the world, I own the universe!

"You just might work things out with Eriol. You never know," Chiharu told me with a smile that said 'flirt'. 

"It could happen. Well, let's just see it for ourselves," I said as I continued to head down the hall. 

~*~

Damn Eriol. He's gone insane. How could he have feelings for Sakura? She's been getting in my nerves and then that's when Eriol start to like her?! Just my luck. I am SOOO happy for him... not! During class, I wasn't paying much attention to the damn teacher. I was looking at Sakura from behind. What could Eriol have seen in her? So maybe she is pretty and authentic. A class smarty-pants and guy-getter. What's so special about that? I just don't understand. Other girls are way nicer, way cooler and things like that. But what makes Sakura above them all? 

At break times, I would see her with Tomoyo or Chiharu and Rika. She'd be so cheerful and damn, she's always smiling. If she weren't so friggin mad at me, I wouldn't be so friggin mad at her either. Why is she mad at me in the first place? Had I done something awful to her? I don't remember though. She's the one who's always yelling at me, telling me how stupid I am. Crazy girl doesn't know a thing about boys. Better leave her alone. 

During dismissal, Eriol left me behind. What a great day I've been having! Of course not! This is just one of the fucking days I experience when nothing goes well at all. Dammit! Oh and here comes Sakura to make it really bad for me. And Eriol having a thing for little Ms. Cherry Blossom just makes it even worse. Maybe I should just give up. If Eriol wants her, let him have her. Let him realize his mistake on his own. That is the way of nature and no way I'm going to have to change that.

I went outside and saw a certain blue haired friend of mine talking to a certain auburn haired girl... alone. Out of mere curiosity, I decided to 'spy' on them. What could happen? And what would happen?

~*~

"Hello Sakura," Eriol greeted her. 

"Oh hi!" Sakura said in return with a pretty smile on her face. She acted normally despite how crazy it was that morning, learning about Eriol's feelings. She tried to hide the faint shade of pink that tainted her delicate cheeks. 

"Um... say Sakura?" Eriol started again, his voice rather different than from just a while ago. 

"What is it?" Sakura asked. It was coming; she could tell. Her hands felt like they wanted to tremble but they didn't. Why was she so nervous? Even she couldn't trace it out. 

"Listen, do you want to watch a movie or something tomorrow?" Eriol blurted it out. He had just asked her. Now, it was all upto Sakura. She could either turn him down or accept the date. Tomorrow was a Saturday, perfect weather, perfect date. Would she give in?

"That would be nice," came Sakura's bright answer. 

Eriol smiled at her and said, "Great. So, I'll pick you up at seven then."

Sakura smiled back and nodded in agreement. With a loss of words, she bid him goodbye and went on her own way. She looked ahead, walking stiffly and rather tense. As she left the school grounds, her body let her go and finally relaxed. She sighed and walked to the parking lot. She pulled the keys from her pocket and climbed in her Porsche. 'Eriol's a nice guy. I'm glad he asked me out,' she admitted to herself before she impelled her car through the road, ignoring the other drivers. She laughed at what she just did and soon got over it. She had gone home afterwards. 

As Sakura got home, she left the car by the driveway and marched up the stairs to the comforts of her bedroom. Quick as a flash, she removed her shoes and hurled her self on bed. It had been yet another damn day in school. But as luck would have it, tomorrow was finally a weekend, a perfect time to relax and just chill out. Sakura instantly remembered her little date with Eriol. It had been quite a while since Sakura had gone on a date. Most boys were nothing to her. She has had a few boyfriends before but none of them actually turned out as she had hoped so. 

Sakura jumped off her bed and went to her walk-in closet. A whole new wardrobe was set right in there. She decided to leave the clothes picking for tomorrow and get down for dinner. 

~*~

Syaoran got home in a very bad mood. 'Eriol actually made her go on a date with him!' he thought and mentally slapped himself. Kinimoto Sakura, a name that brought shivers down his spine. A name he promised himself to curse forever. Syaoran felt anger bursting within him. He wanted to pour out his anger through doing something. He wanted to break something or even shout curses at someone. But why?

He slammed the door behind him to his room. He heard a faint knock in a short while. "Who is it?!" he called. 

The door burst open with an angry raven-haired girl barging in all of a sudden. "Li Syaoran! What the hell has gone wrong with your damn brain!?" she scolded him. 

"Shut up Meilin! Leave me alone! What's you're problem?!" he told his ever-so-nosy cousin. 

"Oh now I'M the one who has a problem? You've practically been throwing everything you put your hands on!" Meilin replied with the same tone of voice as her cousin. 

"Go out now! This is my room!" Syaoran said demandingly. 

"What the fuck is YOUR problem?" Meilin asked him getting rather ticked. "Why the hell are you so mad?"

"Why?! Why am I so mad?!" came Syaoran's response. "I'll tell you why! Because some girl just took my bestfriend away!" he added without lowering his voice's volume as he talked.

"Oh really?" Meilin's answer was filled with sarcasm. "Like woah, I'm going nuts because of one damn girl."

"Look, if you really want to know, Eriol asked Ms. I'm-all-that out on a date tomorrow. Happy now?" Syaoran said.

"Something tells me you're talking about a certain Kinimoto Sakura. You're always making a big fuss about her!" Meilin replied as she started to mock Syaoran by imitating him. "Ehem. Sakura's did this, and Sakura's did that! And on top of that, she's being a really big bitch." Meilin grinned at the way she was getting on Syaoran's nerves. 

"Shut up, Meilin," he told her. 

"Do us all a favor and don't bring your anger all the way home. It's not like the entire world has to know about your hatred for her!" Meilin scolded him and rolled her eyes. "If you hate her so much then stop making such a big fuss because of her," she added before she walked away. 

"Yeah, sure. Like I could do that," Syaoran scoffed before he finally settled down. 

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you didn't think i'd forget about meilin did you? well now you know she's part of the story. hehe! she won't have much of a role but at least she's actually in the story, right? so anywayz, i hoped you liked wut occured in this chap. it's not all-exciting but in a sense, something is happening. it's being worked on so you'll have to read the next chapters in order to find out! wahahahaha!!! oh and you haven't forgotten that you guys owe me a review right?! wahahahaha!!! oh and to alex'z death chic, GIVE ME BACK MY DIABLO!!! *calms down*


	3. A Possible Relationship

ok, now wut happens next? go find out. of course i'm not just going to spill it juz like that! hehe! ^_~ anywayz, eriol likes sakura but does she like him back??? hmm... i dunno. wut do you think? maybe. syaoran is totally going nuts! he has gone loco bout the whole eriol/sakura thing. so maybe some of you s+s people out there are also going mad just bout now. is there something i could do for you? am i mean or wut?

Disclaimer: 

blue-angel: i need a good reason to say ccs isn't mine. 

gazing dreams: umm... maybe because you really don't own it in the first place. 

blue-angel: ...

alex'z death chic: wahahaha! it's coz I own it!

gazing dreams: you do? since when?

alex'z death chic: ...

gazing dreams: *sigh* i knew it. *shakes head*

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CHAPTER THREE

A Possible Relationship

Syaoran was pacing around in his room, trying to cool down for even just a bit. He had gone insane just a couple of minutes ago. Without warning, an idea popped in his head. He was going to bring Sakura down. He needed an idea that could ruin Sakura in front of Eriol and make him think otherwise. He was going to wreck it all for Kinimoto Sakura and possibly destroy her campus image forever. All he needed to do then was think of how he was going to do so. 

~*~

"Touya! Give that back to me! I need that for your information!" I told my brother who had taken my necklace. It was Saturday and I was just getting ready for tonight. I had a whole pile of worthless clothes stacked in my room. "Touya!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. 

"No need to shout! Sheesh," he complained. He hated it when I screamed like that. Must be really loud. Touya placed the necklace he took on top of my drawer. "Here."

"Thank you," I said. I loved it when he got annoyed. "Dammit! I can't find anything good to wear!" I stood right up and started going over my closet to find a good outfit. "I've worn everything in this place!"

"Why do you have to be so picky? Just grab something from your collection of garbage and wear it! That simple! You're making your life so miserable!" Touya retorted. "I don't know why you have to get so dressed up just to go to the movies. Who are you going out with anyway?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Hiiragizawa Eriol," I stated in a simple manner as I managed to walk through the mountain range in my room (a.k.a. the piles of clothes I threw all over). 

"Isn't he your mortal enemy's friend?" my brother asked, realizing the name sounded quite familiar to him.

"Actually, he's Syaoran's 'best' friend," I told him, emphasizing the 'best' part. "It sounds kind of weird but I am going out with the blue bird. No questions asked, alright?"

"Yeah sure. So, exactly how long are you going to take to find some decent garments to wear?" he asked me in curiosity. Or maybe simply to tease me. He knew it will take me time to decide on 'decent clothes'. Touya flashed a grin on his face. "Take your time, I'm outta here," he announced before he exited from my room. Not minding that he left, I continued with what I was doing. It was taking me forever to pick out something that would satisfy me. 

That evening, I finally settled on wearing a pink halter top and a black mini skirt along with some platform slip-ons. I don't know how in the world I actually found something good to wear. In a short moment's time after getting dressed, Eriol's car got parked in front of our house, the cool McLarren (woah!) that he drove. I kissed my dad goodbye and we went on our way to the movies. Eriol bought us two tickets to a movie called "Try Seventeen (if you have a better idea, i would be more than happy to know about it)". It was a good choice, I should say. 

We got settled after finding seats inside the cinemas and the trailers started immediately. Eriol had bought some popcorn and drinks. Normally, I wouldn't eat during a movie but I ate anyway. The reason was that I needed something to take my mind off other things. Anyway, the movie soon began. 

While the movie was playing, Eriol and I kept giggling because of other sights we saw inside. At our spot, we could see at least three or more couples making out. The darkness of the area shadowed them though. But imagine that! We could watch something other than the movie for free! Eriol wrapped his arm around me as I made myself comfortable by his shoulder. The movie was so sweet and romantic. But besides that, the movie was actually nice and good thing it wasn't boring! Like woah, I would die in there if it was. 

Eriol was such an interesting guy. He was kind and thoughtful too unlike that damn Syaoran. Wait just a second! Where did that come from? I can't concentrate on anything if the mere thought of Syaoran keeps troubling me this way. Ugh! I cursed him in my mind so why even bring him up? Syaoran, go to hell!

"Is there something wrong?" Eriol asked me, noticing my blank expressions and sudden silence. 

I shook my head in reply. "No, of course not," I answered as we continued with the movie. By the end of the movie, Eriol and I took a quick round of driving. Then we got to the park. 

~*~

"Why are we here?" Sakura questioned. 

"You'll see it soon. Come on. Get out of the car," Eriol replied when he himself climbed off and led the way. Sakura tag behind him as he held her hand behind her. They quickened their pace through the park until they came to a very familiar area... the spot of the cherry blossom tree. It was beautiful and fully blossomed with pretty pink foliage that gently swayed against the breeze. It was a sight worth seeing indeed. "I wanted to show you this. I figured you'd like it," Eriol told her. 

"It's so beautiful," she uttered and stood beside Eriol. "I like it. I like it a whole lot," Sakura turned to him with a smile. He took her in his arms and she whispered a quick "thank you" to him. 

"I know," was Eriol's simple response. 

They walked around the park and then settled on a bench near the cherry blossom tree. The cold breeze was pleasant but it soon made Sakura shiver to a point that Eriol, being considerate and all, lent his jacket to her. Sakura felt so peaceful. The feeling inside her was something she hadn't felt for quite some time already. She was calm for once, with the company of a great guy. Sakura turned to Eriol with a glisten in her wonderful emerald eyes. 

"Sakura," he suddenly spoke under his breath. 

Sakura swallowed hard. "Y-yes?" she stammered. Hold that thought. Kinimoto Sakura is stammering in front of guy? 

"I have to say something to you," Eriol told her. "I just realized that I was attracted to you. I'm in love with you," he continued, bringing Sakura to a shock. She couldn't believe what she heard him say. Or at least what she thought she heard him say. Had she been dreaming? "Never mind. I know it's stupid. It just sort of slipped off," he tried to stall, and was obviously to change the subject. Eriol forced a laugh to come in. 

"Uh... um..." Sakura somehow stuttered. 'What am I doing? I already knew that Eriol liked me so what's the matter with me now?' she asked herself. Eriol turned away from her. He seemed embarrassed to some extent. "Eriol," she uttered to catch his attention and slowly a smile made its way to her lips. "I think I love you too," she blurted it out. 

Eriol looked surprised. He quickly but carefully embraced her and for a second there, they were staring into one another's eyes. And before they knew it, the gap between their lips was there no more. Sakura was absorbed into her emotions at that very moment. Eriol and her kissed passionately. The feelings they were having were more of love than that of lust. Well of course you can't completely erase 'lust'. It's in every normal human being's instinct (hehe ;p).

It was shortly about time for Sakura to get home. They broke off their kiss and a grin creased the sides of their mouths. Sakura sighed in pleasure to the decision she just made. She thought this relationship was rather likely to last, different from the ones she has had before. Eriol led her back to the car and brought her home. They kissed one last time for the night as Sakura entered her house and waved him goodbye. An evening well spent. 

~*~

As soon as Eriol got home, he called Syaoran and told him what had happened. Syaoran was upset upon hearing Eriol's story. Deep inside, he was so furious that his best friend wanted to be with the girl he hated from the bottom of his heart, or so he says. Syaoran listened intently to how happy Eriol sounded over the phone. What more would it be like when they meet up in school on Monday? 'How could I actually bear to see Eriol playing around with my mortal enemy?!' he thought.

The call ended quickly since Eriol said he'd have to call Sakura next. Syaoran was left with no choice but to hang up. He sat down on his bed staring at the phone. He couldn't imagine how glad Eriol was since Sakura told him their feelings were mutual. It sounded like absolute crap to Syaoran. He was disgusted. Syaoran fell back on his bed and stared at the ceiling blankly. He didn't know why he was that much against Eriol being contented with that Kinimoto girl. 

Syaoran didn't want to get in the way of Eriol's happiness. He was his best friend after all. But it was too much for him to handle. Syaoran didn't like the picture of Eriol being with Sakura. Something inside him wanted Eriol and Sakura to be away from each other, far away. Syaoran grinned at the thought of his plan to destroy Eriol's and Sakura's newly found relationship. He couldn't wait to make it happen. He just knew it would work well and with such satisfaction in mind, he drifted off to sleep. 

A couple of hours passed the break of dawn, a knock came from behind Syaoran's bedroom door. He woke up, disturbed by such an annoying noise so early in the morning. There was no school that day so what's the point of getting up before even wanting to get up?! He stood up out of being so irritated by the knocks that went non-stop. He unlocked the door only to find Meilin carrying the cordless phone from downstairs in one hand. 

"Here, it's for you," Meilin told him as she handed the phone out at Syaoran. 

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Syaoran complained, his body still sluggish from lack of sleep. 

"Go ahead and eat it if you want. See if I care," Meilin told him with one-sided sarcasm, like she often did so.

"Haha! Very funny!" Syaoran rolled his eyes and then took the phone. Clinging it to his ear, he opened the line. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," came a voice's quick response. 

"Who is this?" Syaoran asked, trying his best to recognize whose voice it belonged to.

"Who do you think?" the person on the other line replied. Syaoran still could not figure out who it was. "Syaoran, stop acting so stupid. It's ME. Can't you even tell who I am?" the other person continued. Syaoran listened carefully this time and then instantly knew who he was talking to. 

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*sigh* i'm glad that's finally done with! hehe! the last part of this chap is sort of like a cliff-hanger. but it's so obvious who it is so it's not exactly a good cliffy if you ask me. it's crazy (oh i love this word!). hahahaha!!! anywayz, i juz have a teensy-weensy-tiny-bit of a favor to ask... it's really nothing much... so could you plz... REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!!


	4. Weird Things

i'm SO sorry that this chap took a long time for me to uplaod. the internet was kinda crazy these days. server's down, ffnet not working properly, can't log in... probs keep piling up. anywayz, here you are... 4th chappie! the subtitle doesn't really make much sense but to hell with that. ack! i don't care as long as the chap makes sense at the least. thanks to EVRYONE who reviewed the last chapters of my story. i really didn't expect that much to review because i really didn't find the story much of a good one. *sigh*

THANK YOU TO:

starchild- you're the first reviewer. thanks! and i'm pleased tp see that you think my story is going great so far.

rubymoon- my story is gettin funny? i didn't realize that but i'm glad you think so. oh and i like your name. quite catchy in a sense. 

yvonne- yey! someone finds my story cute!!! as gazing dreams would say, tee hee! come back for more, okie?

kan-chan- eriol is supposed to like tomoyo, eh? hehe! keep reading and something could be changed about that. thanks for reviewing!

mae-mae- cool huh? maybe, but i'm not so sure bout that. i'll try my best to upload the next chaps soon. keep in touch!

danielle ngo- it's good to see you like my ccs story. you seem rather excited actually. you really have a lot to say, don't you? keep readin and i'll keep uploading!

lorraine- you love it??? it's so nice to *hear* that! thanks a bunch! and do come back for more! 

illusion- thank goodness you like my story! i'm glad to see you do! about the whole s+e or s+s thing, i can't spill it out juz yet! ;p it would give away the suspense! [so alex'z death chic, shut up!] so, you'd juz havta read on to find out!

ryokp- i can't really pronounce your name well. hehe! no offense! anywayz, thanks for the compliment! and thanks for reviewing! 

crystal- ha! you're good at knowing wut comes next! i gez you were the first to figure out, hopefully w/o the help of adc, that it was sakura on the other line. i know sakura looks cuter wit syaoran but we'll see... O_o

...alex'z death chic- i have nothing to say to you!... joke! of course i owe ya a whole lot! this story wouldn't be here if it weren't for you! hehe! thanks for the many ideas! *thanx* for checkin up on my story! 

to the anonymous reviewer(s)- if you guyz would juz leave a name at least, i would be more than glad to acknowledge you as well! so thanks anyway for dropping by! 

if i missed anyone, plz juz tell me bout it. as i said, i've been encoutering probs with the god damn internet so the page might have not been displayed properly, causing me to probably miss a few people who reviewed. so, to all of you, THANX! ;)

Disclaimer: ccs belongs to clamp. it's not mine, understand?!

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CHAPTER FOUR

Weird Things

"Kinimoto?!?!" Syaoran said aloud. 

"Right you are," she replied. "Um... you see, I actually have a hell of a reason to why I called you," she told him. 

"What the heck are you thinking now?" Syaoran exclaimed. Beneath it all, he's just plain shocked that 'she' would even call him... ever. 

"Believe it or not, I didn't call to shout at you, curse you, and have war with you. I don't believe it either but I just want to... I just want to make peace... with you," Sakura explained. 

"Wait. YOU'RE making peace with ME? Is it me or have I gone deaf all of a sudden?" Syaoran retorted in doubt. 

Sakura's sighed. "No, you haven't gone deaf. But yes, I'm making peace with you. That's exactly what I wanted to do. I didn't want to tell you in school because I still have a reputation to keep, you know. I'm not dumb enough to blow it," she said when she paused. "So are you gonna talk or what? It's hard enough for me to keep talking and for you to keep listening."

"You don't really want to make peace, do you? Look Kinimoto, no matter how hard you try to hide it, it's obvious that you're only doing this for the sake of your relationship with Eriol," Syaoran sounded stiff and disdainful. 

"Dammit Syaoran! I'm already ignoring my dignity here. And what would you know about doing something for the sake of a good relationship? What if I am doing so? At least I'm trying to get it to work out. I'm not some crazy whore who just happened to be in love with your best friend. Like it or not, I am in love with Eriol and I know he loves me too," Sakura retorted, hurt with Syaoran's being so insensitive. "If you can't even accept my peace-making move, then I can't do anything about it anymore. It's enough for me to know that I actually tried. I'm tired of always having to listen to your rantings. You think I'm going to stick around begging for your friendship? Well guess what asshole, I won't. I'm sorry for wasting your time. You really are nothing but an insensitive moron," and with that, Sakura put the phone down. 

Syaoran heard no more but the dial tone as he eventually put the cordless phone away. He was bothered somehow by what Sakura told him. Was he actually... guilty? Guilty that he didn't even consider about listening to what Sakura wanted to say? He blew it and he knew he did. 

~*~

"Ugh! That asshole!" I cursed Syaoran as soon as I hung up. 

"So, who was on the other line just a while ago?" Touya asked, sticking his face in my room and in my business.

"A nobody. A complete and absolute nobody," I answered him. 

"Looks like it was that stupid gaki," Touya guessed it right. Yup, it was 'that' person, who else? 

"Yeah, you got that one right," I scoffed. "Can you believe how that piece of shit talked to me? Where in the world did I even get the idea of being friends with him?"

"Well anyway, breakfast is ready when you are," my brother told me and I nodded in understanding. I headed downstairs to join my dad and bro for breakfast. And afterwards, I went to Tomoyo's house. She had called a while ago, telling me to come over and see something. 

I rode my Porsche to my best friend's so-called house and made my way to her room. "Tomoyo? I'm already here," I said while I knocked on her door. It opened up and Tomoyo let me in then closed the door behind us. "Why'd you tell me to go here?" I asked her as I made myself comfortable on her bed. 

"Oh, I just wanted you to see a couple of new things I just made," Tomoyo told me as she got brought out an entire clothes hanger with a whole new wardrobe suspended on it. She took hold of a sky blue dress with alternate layers of blue and cream on the dress. She put it in front of herself and said, "So, what do you think of it?"

"It's not bad," I answered and tried to examine the dress. Next, Tomoyo got a green dress with pretty ruffles at the end of the skirt and what was also the sleeves. "Pretty," I told her. Then afterwards, she brought out all the other dresses on the hanger and all of which I found nice, as usual. In fact, I thought that Tomoyo didn't really need to show me anything she designed because most of them if not always, often turn out swell. 

Once Tomoyo was done showing me everything she had in store for me to see, she brought the clothes hanger away and turned to me to talk. "Sakura? Are you and Eriol together now?" she asked me. Oh shoot! I forgot to mention that to her. Damn, how stupid of me. 

"Uh... yeah," I answered. "Sorry I wasn't able to tell you. It just happened so fast."

"Since when?" Tomoyo was intrigued. I figured she asked me out of curiosity. She was my best friend nonetheless.

"Um... it was just yesterday. Last night to be exact. Eriol asked me out last Friday and we went out yesterday," I told her. 

"That's... interesting," Tomoyo uttered, almost in a whisper. Tomoyo was beginning to make me wonder. Why was she acting so... like this? I mean, she had always been the supportive and understanding type. Why was she being weird? Was it something I said? Nah, there's never a time Tomoyo got upset because of something I said. Must be something she did. 

"Well anyway, you want to do something in the mall later?" I suggested to lighten up her mood but...

Tomoyo shook her head to a negative. "No, maybe not today. I'm a bit tired actually and I feel like staying home instead. So, well, you should get going. Go to the mall, do stuff you want," she said as she opened the door. Is she actually telling me to leave? Ouch. 

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" was all I could manage. "Come on, Tomoyo. There must be something you want to do today." This was getting really weird. Tomoyo is acting differently to a point that something seemed wrong. I figured I should ask her about it but something in me told me not to. I sighed in disappointment but then again got an idea. "If you're going to stay here then I might as well call Eriol to keep me company. But if you want to come, just call, okay?" I told her. 

"Yeah, alright," Tomoyo replied with a faint smile before I left from her room. 

~*~

Syaoran was in the shower getting ready for the day. Something was going on in his mind. He couldn't keep his thoughts in control. They were bothering him a whole lot. 

"Damn. I hate to admit it but I think that Sakura is right. Maybe I am nothing but an insensitive moron," Syaoran uttered. 'I'm going mad just because Eriol is going out with 'her'. Not that I'm not happy for him, it's just that why her? Why Sakura?'

He stepped out of the shower and went back to his room as more thoughts about Eriol being with Sakura raced through his head. He sat down on his bed and took out the yearbook from last school year. As he scanned through the pages, he happened to pass through the class picture of Eriol's class. When he turned the page, it was his class and he caught sight of his picture right before Sakura's picture beside it. Their names were close after all. Somehow, he and Sakura had always been in the same class. It annoyed him but what could he do? He couldn't just complain, could he? 'If only that was possible,' Syaoran thought. He stared at his picture and glanced at Sakura's. He couldn't take it anymore just looking at her picture right there in front of him. Cheerful and fun-loving Kinimoto Sakura, his mortal enemy and rival. Syaoran slammed the yearbook shut and put it aside. 

Syaoran took out a long sleeved shirt and some pants then donned himself in them. Rushing out of his room, he ignored a certain Meilin as he went to drive his Diablo (omg!). He made his way to the mall to chill out. He needed some time to think about things. What things? Everything. 

Syaoran had just parked his car and was walking through the mall entrance when he spotted a familiar ashen white colored car parked quite near to his. He couldn't really see the plate number for some other car was blocking off his view. Syaoran shook the idea of who could be in the mall right at that moment. He overlooked it and made his way through the crowd and inside the mall. Syaoran was walking around by himself and checking out a few stores when he caught sight of a couple that just happened to pass while he was inside this particular shop. They seemed very familiar to Syaoran so he decided to see for himself if his eyes weren't just playing tricks on him. 

He left what he was doing and looked around for the two. He tried looking around for them but to no avail. Just when Syaoran blew off into being totally pissed off, he saw the couple sitting by an open cafe. They both seemed pleased just by looking at one another. Syaoran couldn't believe it; Eriol and Sakura having a good time together. He watched the two from a distance but could not figure a thing about what they were talking about. 

'This is the edge, Kinimoto. You made me go passed my patience's limitations," Syaoran said as he looked at the happy couple. 

~*~

Sakura was so glad Eriol could be with her. At least he was there for her when Tomoyo wasn't. She was satisfied just having to be with him and the thought that they were together now made things so unbelievably perfect. Eriol was such a nice guy. Maybe he was the right one for her after all. 

"So, Sakura, how are you going along with Syaoran?" Eriol had to ask. 

"Um... I tried to talk but it didn't really bring me any good. I think Syaoran isn't really in the mood to be friends with me right now," Sakura answered as she scooped up some ice cream from her glass. 

"Oh, Syaoran's just like that at times. Cut the poor guy some slack. He may be stiff when he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. You did say you called him so early in the morning. I've known Syaoran long enough to figure he'd still be sleeping by then. But if you want, I'll try talking to him some time," Eriol told her. 

"Syaoran is stiff, right you are. But, poor? I don't think so. Besides, it's really not much of a big deal now. He can be nice to me when the time comes but I won't force him if he doesn't want to. I'm not that desperate," she replied. 

"Alright then. Syaoran will understand. If he doesn't, I'll just have to let him be until he does. I'm sure he'll get over it," Eriol retorted earning himself a smile from Sakura. 

"Thanks," Sakura uttered as they continued on with the day. 

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so there you have it. the end of chap 4. now i'm workin on the next chap! i'm hoping you guys still like how the story is going. i really am. pls keep coming back to read more. i'm actually gettin kinda excited bout the whole story-writing thing. i'm thinking this story wouldn't last long but who knows? maybe if a good idea pops in this small brain of mine telling me to make the story longer. yey! okie, one last thing: pweez weview! i mean, pleaz review! lol! ^_^


	5. Syaoran's Plan

chapter 5!!! wahahaha!!! i'm invincible!!! anywayz, thanks to all those who reviewed! i'm really glad my story isn't getting ever-so boring *yet*. i'm happy that the story is going quite well. woohoo! so, here's my chapter 5. it's kinda sad though coz... secret! you juz find out for yourselves k??? read on!

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CHAPTER FIVE

Syaoran's Plan

I had just gotten home from my time with Eriol. Man, was I tired. We went around and talked about things. It was great having spent time with Eriol again. Touya was nagging me about what happened. My father was still stuck up with business but still asked where I had gone. Woah, I brought a vibe inside our house and I like it! :)

"Was the gaki with you and Eriol?" my brother asked. 

"Who? Syaoran? Nah. Didn't even see him," I told him. I leapt on my bed and stared at the ceiling for no particular reason. I felt so happy. I was so happy I met Eriol. I took hold of my wallet and slipped out the picture me and Eriol had taken a while ago in the mall. It was so cute! I mean, *we* were so cute. Anyway, I put the picture back in my wallet then got myself ready for bed. 

* * *

It has been one month since Eriol and Sakura have been together. People in school know all about their new-sprung relationship. Teachers aren't complaining like they usually did so with other students who tend to flunk when involved in a relationship. With Eriol around, it wasn't an issue with Sakura at all. Eriol, being the cool school guy helps her out but not to a point of cheating. That's stupid. 

Apparently, Syaoran was the only one who was not enjoying any of this. Like he had been before, he was still against the idea of Eriol plus Sakura. It was like one dumb equation that he didn't even want to solve. He just didn't like Sakura. Not even for a little bit. But the thought of that Kinimoto girl's reputation getting destroyed soon pleased him badly. He had it all planned out. All he needed was the right time. He just needed to catch the right moment.

~*~

Syaoran was talking to this certain popular kid in the same level. He was one of the populars who so happened to be one of the "hot shots" in campus. Syaoran was talking to him for this one "important" reason, or should I say purpose. During dismissal, unfortunately, Eriol couldn't join Sakura and bring her home. That wasn't such a big deal for Sakura. It was the fact that she couldn't go with Eriol. 

Sakura was making her way through the crowd of students and outside the building. She needed to get something from the library so she decided to go back in. Not many students stayed in the building after classes so Sakura found no difficulty getting to the library. But of course, you can't say there were a few students in there. Syaoran, seeing this as an opportunity, seized it and gave the signal to his friend who took position nearby. As Sakura was walking down the hallway, the guy stood in front of her, blocking her way. 

"Excuse me, Kagami Jin," she tried to get through but he was persistent and did not allow her to do so. 

"What's about you and me get together?" Jin told Sakura. 

Sakura couldn't believe what she heard him say. That was gross. So maybe Jin was all that, good at sports, a big time hottie, somehow passing grades, and attracted many girls. One thing he wasn't good at was hiding the fact that he was just one hell of a jerk with good looks. Sakura knew that. She was a pro in recognizing morons. 

A grin made its way on Jin's lips as he pushed Sakura against the wall. "Hello Kinimoto," he uttered as his hand began to crawl underneath Sakura's shirt. 

"What the hell?! Get away from me you asswipe!" she said aloud.

Jin kept Sakura pinned to the wall as he smirked then kissed her forcibly. Sakura could not force herself away since he held her firmly. She could not break free of his hold and he just continued to kiss her by the corridor. The bad thing was that it appeared like Sakura didn't want to "repel" him. 

When Jin finally broke off their kiss, Sakura felt like throwing up. The moment she looked away, she saw a certain Eriol still in his tracks, staring at her direction. "Eriol! This isn't what you think it is!" Sakura insisted but Eriol ignored her efforts to explain. Eriol couldn't believe the sight he saw. With not a minute to lose, Eriol turned and headed the other way. Sakura looked at Jin who was grinning profusely at seeing this. She brought her hand hard on his cheek, leaving a bright red mark at that spot. Sakura was in pain even when it was not her who was slapped hard. Eriol was leaving. She needed to do something before it was too late. She ran as though she was running for her life just to catch up to Eriol. "Eriol! Please! Let me explain!" Sakura called out to him. 

Eriol refused to stop and look at Sakura in the eye. Sakura tried but failed anyway. Eriol was devastated to see his girlfriend in some other guy's arms. He didn't want to even listen to what Sakura had to say. Sakura caught up to him but all her efforts were in vain. Eriol was too shocked to even hear her out. "Leave me alone!" he told her with anger in his tone of voice. 

"No! What you saw isn't true!" Sakura exclaimed, not minding her pride's sake. 

"Yeah, it wasn't what you intended! You just wanted to make me believe you actually loved me back!" Eriol talked back harshly. "Syaoran was right from the beginning! You're not worth anything at all!" 

Tears cascaded down Sakura's cheeks. "Eriol! Believe me! This is all a misunderstanding!" she cried. 

"Damn right! It was all a misunderstanding or even worse, it was all a big stupid mistake that I even had feelings for... for a whore like you!" What Eriol said echoed in Sakura's ears. "Whore!" it kept shouting. As soon as he said all these, Eriol left. He left the school and left Sakura. 

Sakura watched as her life seemed to pass right in front of her. She couldn't perceive exactly what was happening. Eriol was gone. He was never going to come back. She went back in the building only to find Jin had left. She took hold of her bag and rushed to her car then straight home. 

She parked her car through the driveway and ran to her room with tears coursed down from her eyes, slamming the door behind her. It was all happening so fast. Everything happened before she even realized it. And now, she no longer had Eriol. He no longer cared for her just because of a stupid misunderstanding. Sakura couldn't help but continue to sob and curse to no one in particular. She should've just punched Jin. But NOOoo, she had to let him take the hold of her and let Eriol see it in the wrong perspective.

Sakura collapsed on her bed with more tears trailing down her pale cheeks. With her face on her arms, she cried endlessly, feeling the throb in her delicate heart. Her feelings had been crushed to a pile of rubble. It was too much for her to handle. Way too much indeed. She felt like pouring out every single teardrop until she just died right then and there. 

How could she have been so helpless? God knows she loved Eriol so much and she let him go just like that. She was hurt by the way he looked at her with intense horror flickering from the amethyst eyes Sakura loved.

Something was wrong though. Sakura hadn't realized it just yet due to her emotional breakdown. Jin would never lay his dirty hands on any girl as a sort of harassment. That was completely out of his list on "how to freak people out". It would be so immoral for him to do such a thing. Unless... someone made him do it for a price. 

~*~

Touya was surprised by how Sakura dashed to her room. She completely ignored him and it's unusual for Sakura to do that, at least not without a problem, a serious one at that. He wondered what happened and why she was acting like that. Not that he cared all that much but maybe he did, just enough to be concerned anyway. 

~*~

"Eriol," Sakura whispered to herself, still crying like she would never stop. "Why didn't you even give me a chance to explain?"

"Sakura?" her father, Fujitaka, slightly opened the door to see what was going on. "May I come in?"

Sakura continued to weep and said nothing. Fujitaka came inside her room and sat by Sakura. She sat up and embraced him as he whispered words of comfort to his daughter. "Sakura, it's going to be okay," he said but Sakura made no response. "Everything is going to be fine," Fujitaka told her. He figured it would be better not to remind Sakura of what may have happened. He thought that just by simply comforting her would be enough. 

"Eriol. I need him! Dad, I need him!" Sakura cried as her condition became worse. She started to hit her bed roughly. "Why?! Why does this have to happen?!" she screamed as she calmed down but kept crying still. Fujitaka stood up and went to the door. 

"Sakura, be strong," he uttered and with that, he left and closed the door.

Sakura kept crying and crying until she could cry no more. She had lost stamina and was very tired by the time it was midnight. Her body couldn't keep up to her sorrow no matter how hard she tried to stay conscious. She fell back on her bed as she finally settled down and drew herself to sleep with nothing but Eriol in the depths of her mind. 

~*~

Syaoran got home with a big smile crossing his face. He was satisfied with what happened. Now at last Eriol knew Sakura's true self, nothing but a selfish whore. But that was what Eriol thought she was. That was good enough for Syaoran. At least he can get him to stay away from her at last. Syaoran marched up to his room, smiling like an idiot. The moment he was just about to close the door behind him, a certain person rampaged through his room. And with that... came a...

...hard slap across his right cheek brought about by an angry Meilin. "Li Syaoran! I know it was you who caused the commotion in school a while ago! Jin would never do that for no reason at all!"

Syaoran was stunned by how fast Meilin was. With his hand on his swollen cheek, he replied, "W-what?! You c-can't just accuse me like that! You don't even have proof!" 

"Proof?! I don't need a fucking proof!" Meilin shouted at him. "I've known you long enough to figure what's on your mind! Don't act so stupid! How could you be so insensitive?!" 

Stupid and insensitive. Yes, that Sakura also called Syaoran such. "Shut up! She deserved to be left by Eriol! She's nothing but a slut playing on my best friend! A damn bitch that deserved to be dumped," he talked back. The irony of his words, he referred to Sakura as a slut.

"You have NO idea how happy Eriol and Sakura were. I cannot even believe you can be this selfish. I know this isn't any of my business, but how dare you destroy a relationship just like that. Syaoran, do actually think Eriol will be happy like this? So what will you do when he finds out it was all YOUR doing?! Huh?! Answer me!" Meilin demanded only to find that Syaoran was speechless. "Look Syaoran. I understand that you hate Sakura more than anything but with what you did, it seemed like you hated Eriol as well," she added before she walked out. 

Syaoran stood there dumbfounded by what Meilin said. Could she have been... right?

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so how was that? good? bad? very bad? really really bad? ok, maybe i'm not giving myself fair justice but is it my fault i can't be certain of wut you think bout my work? it's kinda lame but some of you actually like it!!! oh not that i find the reviewers lame. i think all of you guys are nice. once again, thanks a bunch for the reviews and to finish off... PLZ LEAVE A ***R3v!3W***. lol! ^_^


	6. Denial and Sorrow

phew! that was tough! so far, this chap is the longest though not that much longer than the previous chappies. anywayz, wut happens to sakura after being DUMPED? ouch, such a harsh word. how will our heroine act? how will she even live through this??? eek! trouble is brewing... maybe. let me juz ask a question before you read, wut do you think is the pairing in this story, eh? s+s or s+e??? hmm.... well, you'll juz havta figure that out for yourselves. hehe! enjoy!

Disclaimer: you don't havta remind me! i don't own ccs! happy?!

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CHAPTER SIX

Denial and Sorrow

Sakura awoke with pain in her eyes from having to cry all night. The feeling of rejection was still present. Eriol was never going to come back. Tears made their way down Sakura's face when she recalled exactly what happened the other day. She sighed and didn't even bother to get out of bed. It was a school day but Sakura didn't feel like going. She embraced her covers tighter and kept herself tucked in. She didn't have the strength to get up. 

Touya knocked on her door and came in. "Sakura, when are you getting off your bed? You can't be sulking today because there's school." 

"I'm not going to school," Sakura retorted. 

"What? You have to go to school, you know. Breaking up isn't an excuse..." Touya started when Fujitaka interrupted him. 

He shook his head and said, "Let your sister do what she wants for now." Touya reluctantly nodded in agreement and closed the door to leave Sakura behind. 

Sakura stared out the window and imagined Eriol's gentle face. She was certain she was going to miss him. For some reason, she wanted to be alone for now to do some thinking of her own. She wanted to recall all the things and happenings that have gone by all so fast. Sakura breathed heavily and tried to hold her tears back. She needed no more of that to make things worse than they already are. She never thought she and Eriol would separate in so quick a time. It was all too sudden. 

Later on, Sakura's breakfast was transferred to her room, only to be brought to waste. Sakura paid no attention didn't want to have anything to eat. Touya had gone to school and Fujitaka went to his office. Sakura was basically alone at the moment, if the maids were disregarded. She didn't mind them either way. Sakura just locked herself up in her room and didn't go out at all. She just wanted others to give her some privacy. 

~*~

Syaoran couldn't help but be disturbed by the empty seat in front of him in class. It was so annoying to see that no one was occupying that seat. It was Sakura's seat and the fact that she wasn't there troubled Syaoran a whole lot to a point that he couldn't concentrate in class at all. His attention was regularly called by the teacher. And that annoyed him even more. 

He was well aware that he was to blame for Sakura's absence. Wait a second there. That's crazy. How could he be praising himself yesterday for a job well done and be guilty and at fault today? Syaoran's conscience was driving him in circles and he hated it so much when it did. Syaoran was with Eriol again during break times. Eriol didn't seem quite happy though. Syaoran thought he could get Eriol back if Sakura was there no more but he was wrong. Eriol still had feelings for Sakura despite Syaoran's little plan to split them apart. 

Syaoran noticed people in school have been spreading rumors about Eriol and Sakura's sort of dispute. Most of them were false since they stated that it was all Sakura's fault but Syaoran could not tell them it was he who should be blamed, could he? That would completely wreck his image but it would save Sakura from being talked about in the wrong way. It had crossed Syaoran's mind to tell Eriol about the truth but he tried to hide it for now, realizing Eriol being the unpredictable type could either be happy that Syaoran spoke the truth or be angry that Syaoran hid it from him. Syaoran just tried to act normal. Stay cool and chill. As if that was possible at a situation like this!

"Hey Eriol, what's your plan for later?" Syaoran asked Eriol, who was apparently not paying much attention. Syaoran waved his hand in front of him. "Hey man, are you listening to me?" 

Eriol snapped out of it and said, "Oh, sorry about that. I'm just a bit lost right now." 

Syaoran knew Eriol was thinking about Sakura. He couldn't help but actually feel sorry for the guy and yet... "Look, you have to get over it already. You caught her in some other guy's grasp, you blow her off, end of story," Syaoran told him. 

"She was trying to tell me something, Syaoran. I didn't even try to listen for just a moment there," Eriol sounded regretful. 

"Well that's life. You think some girl is the perfect one and for a minute you turn your back, she's already kissing someone," Syaoran retorted. "Sakura is just one of those 'perfect' ones," he added. Syaoran almost felt like a jerk... almost. What? He was supposed to be supportive, right? 

"I guess so," came Eriol's response as they headed back to their own classes. 

Syaoran couldn't avoid thinking about Sakura and Eriol. The entire day was almost over and yet he still couldn't keep his mind of the two who recently broke up... because of him. 'Those two are already away from one another and yet I feel this way,' he thought as he looked out the window, forgetting that there was a teacher in front of the class. 'That Kinimoto is driving me insane! She ain't here but still somehow I keep thinking about her!' he continued with his daydreaming until...

"Li Syaoran! Must you be so disrespectful?" the teacher called his attention. The other students didn't even dare to laugh even for a bit. They knew Syaoran was easily annoyed of being made fun of. Being popular and all, Syaoran was capable of nearly anything. "If you don't mind my asking, would you like to share your little thoughts with the class?" the teacher told him as she paused from her lecture. 

"It's nothing, Ma'aam," Syaoran replied, emphasizing the "ma'am". If he were honest, in which case he wasn't, he would've showed how surprised he was by the teacher's sudden bellow. "I was only trying to rest my eyes and ears. Both were tired," he said with complete mockery, which caused giggles [*giggle*] to break out in class. This was his way of turning the tide or simply his way of escaping total humiliation. 

The teacher eyed at him with a glare, in which her finally strand of patience got ripped. "This is it, Mr. Li. Your derision shall stop right here. You ought to get punished whether you like it or not," the teacher taunted him. 

"Um... Ma'am, what do you mean derision? I was just being a joker. The class seriously needs to lighten up the mood in here," Syaoran continued, making the teacher even more irritated with his ridicule. 

"Li Syaoran, I'm afraid that as punishment, you will have to personally deliver Ms. Kinimoto's notes and assignments to her house later this afternoon," the teacher retorted. 

"What?!" Syaoran reacted at once. 

"I was supposed to ask Ms. Daidouji from the other class to give it to her later but then again, I seemed to have changed my mind. Since you and Sakura appear rather *close*, I've decided to let you handle it in her place," the teacher added with a smile, a victorious one at that. 

"No way! I am NOT going to do that! Not until pigs fly!" Syaoran refused. 

"Oh I'm afraid you'd have to. But if you would like me to call your parents instead, I think we could make arrangements," the teacher started. 

"Damn!" Syaoran landed his fist on his desk as he settled back down. He wanted to kill himself just then. And bring the teacher down along with him as well. Maybe going to hell at that point wouldn't be such a bad idea after all. 

"Now, let's continue with the class. Oh and Syaoran, don't even think about ditching the job because I will immediately contact Kinimoto if you really brought her things to her," the teacher said as she returned to the lesson.

~*~

"I can't take this anymore," Sakura uttered to herself. "Why am I even sulking like this? Oh, I know! Because I've lost one of the most important people in my life. One of the dearest one too." She sighed knowing all this depression wasn't doing her any good but she just couldn't help herself get over it, or should I say, him. Sakura was still in her pajamas come afternoon, still sulking in her room, as she herself had admitted that. Neither her father not her brother had arrived home just yet. 

~Syaoran wanted to get it done with already. Right after class, he got in his car and drove off to the Kinimoto residence. With Sakura's things on the other seat, he made his way to her house as fast as he could go on the road. He was so pissed off that he actually had to go to her house of all other houses! Syaoran stepped on the pedal and hadn't noticed he was going passed the speed limit. Shortly when he did that, a police guy was signaling him from behind, hardly able to keep up with Syaoran's speed. Like, duh! Does he even know how fast a Diablo can go? The police guy told him to pull over and so he did and obviously, Syaoran was given a ticket. Could his day be any worse than this?

Sakura was in her room, pale and weak. She hadn't eaten a thing for the entire day through. Normally, she would be bored to death if she did something like doing nothing. But in cases like this, even if she just watched the ceiling as if she was expecting something to jump out and eat her, she didn't care. As long as she stayed by herself, she was contented, or so she thinks she was. But nevermind that. She just kept on crying like she was planning to get a river to be present in her room. That's how depressed she was. It wasn't like she was dumped by some moron just like that. She was dumped by an Eriol because of one friggin misconception. 

~Syaoran started to drive quickly again right after he received that stupid ticket. If it weren't for Sakura, he wouldn't even get a ticket in the first place. He impelled through the roads in a breeze and finally got to the "territory" of Sakura, the untamed wild beast. How... comforting... not! He parked his car through and stepped out of the car, carrying Sakura's assignments with him. He pushed the red button and ding-dong! The maid opens the door, asks who he needs, and he forces his way through. "Where's Sakura?" he demanded. 

"Ms. Kinimoto is in her room but she insists that she wants to be given some privacy," the maid tried to explain but Syaoran just ignored her and asked where her room was. "Please tell me your name and I shall see if she can attend to you," the maid said

"Just tell me where she is, dammit! I want to get this over with so just tell me where her room is!" Syaoran retorted.

"Please! Keep your voice down! Ms. Kinimoto needs some peace and quiet," the maid told him. 

"Kinimoto! Get down here!" Syaoran shouted as two maids rushed in and tried to stand in his way. 

"If you won't tone down your voice, I'm afraid we must insist that you leave at once," the other maid replied. 

"Look ladies, I have to do my task here," Syaoran said. To some point, he felt like delivering her things wasn't the only reason she needed to see her. He needed to talk. 

Sakura heard all the racket coming from downstairs and so she decided to see what was causing it. She brushed her hair quickly with a couple of strokes then headed out of her room only to be surprised to see Syaoran going crazy down there. 'What the hell is he doing here?!' she thought as she put on a robe and walked down to see what Syaoran's purpose was. 

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good readers never forget to leave a review, right??? hehe! well, if you're a very nice person who's kind enough to leave me a review, then thanks! i'll be more than willing to read through suggestions and see wut i can do, if there's something i can do. lol! ',))) oh yea... mah friend adc allowed me to set a certain # of reviewz b4 i upload again... hmmm... maybe around 38 or so would do the trick (40 above would be so damn nice of ya'll)... see ya till then! 

p.s: don't forget to include your NAME and EMAIL if yar gonna giv me an anonymous review, k? thankissss...


	7. A Different Wave

sorry ta all of ya if ya think i upload slow... hehe! it's juz that i wuz waitin for reviews to come and slowing down my pace might do the trick, which apparently, is a very stupid idea. anywayz, wut i meant by 'anonymous' is when you review BUT you're NOT signed in. did you get that? sorry if sometimes i am hard to understand but to hell wit that! i juz need reviewz. so, well... this iz chap 7 already. it's kinda short and if i'm not mistaken, i gez this is the shortest chap of this story. i can't tell the difference though...

Disclaimer: clamp owns ccs. yada yada yada... blah blah...

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CHAPTER SEVEN

A Different Wave

Syaoran looked up at Sakura as she came down the stairs. It was the first time he'd seen her like that, in her sleeping attire and with her hair neatly laid down. She looked blanch but still pretty as she had ever been. 

"Miss, he was persistent and we tried to tell him..." the maid started to explain when Sakura cut her off. 

"What do you think you're doing here?" Sakura jerked Syaoran from his thoughts as soon as she got down. "Did you get lost or something?" she managed to banter him. "I thought your house was that way," she pointed outside with a slight grin.

"Hey, I came here to bring your notes and assignments but don't think I did that voluntarily. It was punishment for my "inattentiveness" in class," he said as he brought his hands up to quote the word 'inattentiveness'. "Don't blame me for such a stupid punishment."

"You think going here is punishment, eh? Just leave my stuff somewhere and go home. That's your only intention, right?" Sakura told him as she suddenly lost her balance. Syaoran caught her in time. "Um... thanks," she uttered and stood up properly and Syaoran took a step backwards. 

Syaoran couldn't believe what he had just done. Helping an enemy, what was he thinking? "Uh... I don't know where that came from so don't think I'm being friendly," he said. 

"Not a chance in the world I'd think that," Sakura replied. "Anyway, is there something else you need?" she asked him. 

"Actually, yeah," Syaoran blurted out. He started to slap himself mentally for saying that. "Can we talk someplace in private?" Sakura thought he was acting silly and looked at him in a strange manner. Syaoran quickly put both of his hands in front of him in defense saying, "No way! I'm not thinking dirty here!" 

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him and said, "I never said you were." Syaoran was embarrassed when he heard this. "Come on. Follow me," she told him as she turned back and started to walk up the stairs. Syaoran followed behind her with a bit of hesitation. He was wondering where she would lead him. They soon got to this rather huge door. Sakura opened it and stepped inside, allowing Syaoran to do the same. Inside, it was a big pink room. He blushed upon thinking that this was Sakura's room. "What? Never seen a girl's room before?" Sakura turned to him as she closed the door. Syaoran doubted why Sakura was being so... open. "So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked as she settled on her bed. 

Syaoran looked around while he put Sakura's books and notebooks on top of a chair. The place was not exactly his idea of a perfectly clean room. He had to admit that it was quite messy with some stuff on the floor. "Is it me or did you let a small tornado get in your room?" he muttered with his sight on the things strewn all over the floor. 

Sakura rolled her eyes and giggled in embarrassment. "Sorry about the place. I didn't really have time to pick that stuff up. Um... I guess I sort of flipped when..." Sakura said when she paused by the near end of her sentence. 

"Actually, that's what I was going to talk to you about. What did you feed Eriol in order for him to have such strong feelings towards you?" Syaoran said as he leaned his back against the wall. 

"Syaoran, that's stupid. Did you forget to bring your common sense with you again?" Sakura replied jokingly and sighed. "I never really thought I had feelings for Eriol until he came up to me and asked me out. It was all so sudden. I should have realized that such sudden emotions would end up all of a sudden as well," she added, seriously this time around. "I loved him, I really did but I guess my love for him wasn't strong enough."

"Seems like it," Syaoran accidentally uttered when he saw tears coming out of Sakura's eyes. 

"Look Li, it's obvious that you don't want me to be around. But heck, why should I care? I only wanted to be around so I could be with Eriol. I never meant to do that to make you hate me even more. Why do you think I even bothered to call you? So I could completely piss you off? I thought that maybe if we became friends, Eriol would be closer to me. I didn't even consider what other people might think. I didn't care whether they would say that I lost to you or that I am a very fickle person or whatsoever," Sakura said as she wiped her tears off. 

"I... I don't even know what to say to you right now," Syaoran admitted. "But I just have one thing to tell you. If Eriol really loved you so much, he wouldn't leave you just like that. If he really loved you, he would hear you out. Last but definitely not the least, if he really loved you, he would've stayed with you no matter what happened. It just goes to show that he didn't."

Sakura was hurt by what Syaoran told her. But why did Syaoran know that much about love? Just then, it hit her. Eriol's love wasn't what Sakura thought it was. It wasn't what Sakura needed. "Syaoran, I don't know how in the world you can tell me this. It's sad to think that Eriol and I couldn't work it out. But maybe, it wasn't really supposed to work out from the beginning," Sakura replied refusing to meet Syaoran's gaze. 

Syaoran stood upright and straightened his clothes. "Well, I'd better be going now. That was all I needed to say," he told her and headed towards the door. Sakura quickly rushed to him and grabbed his wrist. "Huh?" Syaoran uttered in surprise. 

"I don't know why I'm about to tell you this but... thank you, Li. Thanks for letting me rethink everything," Sakura said. "However, we're not friends yet, understand?" 

He nodded with a, "Yeah, whatever." Then he headed out and drove himself home. He glanced at his hand once in a while and couldn't understand himself. What a day it had been.

Sakura watched him leave from her bedroom window. "Li Syaoran, you've changed," she uttered as she looked at the books and notebooks that Syaoran brought to her house. "Oh well, an unchanging person is a boring person," she told herself. She took a shower and got dressed then started to work on her assignments. "Sheesh! I've only been absent for a day and this is what I get?!" she complained while she read the problems for Calculus. It made her dizzy just to read each of them one by one. As soon as she had every bit of the schoolwork done, she proceeded to the kitchen to help make supper. In no time, Touya and Fujitaka got home and caught the scent of the food from the moment they got inside the house. 

"How is Sakura?" Fujitaka asked one of the maids, handing his coat to her. 

The maid smiled and replied, "She's been doing fine ever since that handsome young man came to visit her. She's in the kitchen right now."

"Sakura?" Fujitaka called out while he and Touya stepped in the kitchen. 

"Good. You guys are home just in time," Sakura told them. "I had just finished making supper AND dessert."

Touya looked suspicious. "Okay, step back, dad. This girl is dangerous," he joked as he gestured Fujitaka to back away. Then he turned to Sakura and said, "Who are you and what have you done to Sakura?" 

"Relax, my crazy brother. It's really me. Sheesh," Sakura rolled her eyes. 

"Wait. Am I missing something here? First she's all gloomy then the next thing you know, she's back to her loony old self," Touya turned to Fujitaka. Sakura hit her brother playfully and they all proceeded to the dining room. When they all got seated, Touya started by saying, "Are you sure you didn't put any food poisoning in these?" 

"Shut up. Go ahead and starve for all I care," Sakura replied with a grin.

"Now I know you're not lying when you said you were Sakura," Touya blurted out as he sampled the food in his dish. Sakura stuck her tongue at him and continued eating. "By the way, who's the 'handsome young man' the maids are talking about?" Touya asked her. 

"What handsome young man?" Sakura wondered what her brother was talking about. 

"Some guy that changed your mood only by coming here. Does that ring any bells?" Touya teased her. 

"What the hell are you talking about?! Wait a second there... Li was the only guy who came here a while ago... He is SO not handsome and he DID NOT change my mood," she said assuringly. 

"Oh really? So I'm supposed to blame the gaki for your return?" Touya raised an eyebrow at Sakura. "What trick did he use on you? I want to learn that. Does he make you go fetch too?" he continued to pester her. Sakura scoffed upon hearing her brother make fun of her. 

"Whatever! Like, he just came here to bring my stuff from school. It was his punishment for annoying the teacher. And he didn't even say anything... reassuring. How can you say that he changed my mood? He was only here for a few minutes!" Sakura replied, getting irritated. 

Unexpectedly, one of the maids spilled the details. "The young man came with Ms. Sakura's things for school. Then he stayed for a couple of minutes so he and Ms. Sakura could talk." The maids started to giggle. Sakura's jaw dropped open. She couldn't believe everyone was thinking she and Syaoran were hitting on each other. Touya laughed hysterically and Fujitaka couldn't help but smirk as well. 

"EWW!!! You CANNOT be thinking me and Li are seeing each other! He's my sworn enemy! Can we just drop this subject?" Sakura pleaded. When everyone got settled and once their brain cells started to function properly once again, Sakura brought out dessert. After eating, she went up to her room with a smile. Wait there... smiling about what??? Sakura shook her thoughts away. 'Okaaay, that... that was really weird. All this teasing must be getting on me... That's just sick!'

She headed to her room and got herself ready for bed. Sakura got dressed in her sleeping garments then after brushing her teeth, she got herself tucked in. Sakura sighed and kept turning, trying to find a good spot to lay on. Her back was still a bit sore since she had been in bed for most of the day. Sakura remembered that Tomoyo hadn't called. She rarely ever did that so Sakura thought that maybe Tomoyo was going to call late. Well, she needed some rest after all so she decided to ask Tomoyo about it the next morning. 

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things are FINALLY going back to normal, i think. it's kinda lame. i know, i know.. i haven't been giving much credit to myself lately and i need a serious confidence boost. maybe if more of you guys would PLLLZZZ leave a review, then maybe i can make something a wee-bit better. now there's an idea! REVIEW!!! thanks for all those who reviewed! lol... btw, 40+ reviewz are really cool! you guyz are SO nice!!! this time, can i ask for 53+ this time around? 


	8. Learning the Truth

sup? 8th chapter @ last! wahahahaha!!! finally, eriol finds out about the truth... wut will happen? don't ask me and just read and find out. am i being mean??? oh yea, keep those reviews coming coz i'm getting to the good part of the story! oh and before i forget, i'd like to thank alex'z death chic for the MANY ideas she gave me. check out her stories when you have the time, ok?

Disclaimer: try readin the past disclaimers and see how hard i've been tryin to shove this tiny piece of info into everyone's minds: I DON'T OWN CCS!!!

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CHAPTER EIGHT

Learning the Truth

Sakura got up early the next morning. She didn't want any time to lose. She wanted to get to school early and surprise the others. It was odd though that Tomoyo didn't even call her up the last evening to check up on her. She must have been busy because she would always call Sakura whenever she didn't go to school. Sakura threw on some clothes and shoes, ate breakfast in a hurry, then rushed to get to school in her Porsche. 

She got there and found that only a few students were already in school. Some were looking at her and would whisper to someone all of a sudden. Full of crap. Sakura went around and after half an hour, more students started to come over. She spotted Eriol on her way. Sakura couldn't even bear to look at him. They just both walked past one another as if neither one of them existed. Great. What a way to start a day... not!

Soon, Chiharu and Rika [she appears at last] arrived almost right next to one another. They were both happy to see Sakura. After a few minutes, Tomoyo came at last. She seemed okay, the same ol' light-hearted Tomoyo who was Sakura's best friend for as long as she could remember. Chiharu and Rika separated from the two while Sakura and Tomoyo went on their own way as well. 

"I'm glad you came to school today, Sakura," Tomoyo told her. 

Sakura smiled and replied, "Yeah, me too. By the way, what happened yesterday? You didn't even bother to give me a call."

"Oh, sorry. I figured it might not be the best time to call you because of your little dilemma," came Tomoyo's answer. 

"I can see that," Sakura uttered as she and Tomoyo headed to class. 

~*~

Syaoran was talking to Jin at the side of the school building where people rarely go. Obviously, he didn't want anyone to see him talking to Jin. 

At another side of the building, Eriol was looking around for Syaoran. He wanted to tell him that he had seen Sakura a while earlier. As Eriol was looking almost everywhere, he figured someone might've seen Syaoran. Eriol started to ask other people if they have seen Syaoran anywhere around campus. He got near the side of the school where Syaoran was seen to have gone to. Eriol rushed to see if his best friend was anywhere in there. 

Eriol was surprised to catch sight of Syaoran talking to a very familiar guy. In an instant, Eriol recognized who it was... Kagami Jin, the person who made him break up with his cherry blossom. Damn asshole was talking to Syaoran. But why? Eriol had no idea so he decided to see it for himself. He didn't know why he was about to do what he had in mind. Eriol was planning to listen to Syaoran and Jin's conversation. The first one to talk was Syaoran. 

"Hey Jin, I need you to keep your mouth shut about this, alright?"

"So, where's the cash? You've kept me waiting long enough."

"Here. But don't you ever spill this out to anyone most especially to the ones who were actually part of the gig."

"Sure, whatever you say. It was great doing business with you, buddy." 

"Don't call me buddy. Just go already! Don't you ever bother me about this again."

That was all Eriol had to hear. Eriol could not believe what he heard Syaoran say in front of Jin. Since when did his best friend do stuff to ruin his life? Suddenly, Eriol realized something. He left Sakura for nothing but a stupid misunderstanding. Sakura had been trying to explain but he just ignored her. He felt like a big idiot. For that, he needed to talk to Syaoran. He needed to make something clear with him. Eriol needed an explanation from the person he thought was his best friend. The bell rang and Eriol wasn't able to confront Syaoran in time so he decided to see Syaoran some time later. 

~*~

Syaoran was relieved to see Sakura present that day when he got to class. Hold that. Can you say that again? Is it me, or did I hear him say he was "relieved" to see 'her'. [Fine, I'll fix that.] Syaoran was okay with having Sakura around at last [happy?]. It was better than seeing an empty chair in front of him. That would definitely crack him up. 

The teacher was discussing this sort of activity in class. Syaoran wasn't exactly listening to what the teacher was talking about up till... "Li shall pair up with Kinimoto," the teacher gave Syaoran a grin. He wanted to curse her right then if only she wasn't a teacher! Damn. Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other and groaned. She had no complaints but he was *full* of them...? One by one, he exclaimed every negative reason to why he shouldn't work with Sakura, which of course didn't take him much time because all he could think of were "Sakura's my all-time rival" and "We don't work good together" or "I can't deal with this crap with her around". Lame, totally lame. Syaoran couldn't help but feel stupid. Who wouldn't? 

Sakura turned her seat to face Syaoran. "Both of us know we're no good as a team but at the moment, I don't think we have a choice," she said as she shook her head. "So, I guess it'd be better if we just do what we can. I'm not expecting us to get a high grade at this but I'm not planning to fail either, capish?"

"Okay, whatever," Syaoran replied as he took out a pen and started to answer the worksheet they were given. They were supposed to help one another and surprisingly, that's what Sakura did. Syaoran found that very strange and unusual. He squinted his eyes once at her in bafflement. 

"No, that's not right," Sakura told him as she took his paper and pointed out his mistake. "You have to answer this question in order to end up with the answer for that one," she said and he just nodded in understanding. Both of them noticed the people who were eyeing at them but they just had to ignore them all for now. 

Syaoran wanted to say, "Kinimoto, I don't need your help. Mind your own business" but none of those words slipped out from his mouth. He felt as though he was sick or something. Maybe he acquired some disease that makes you act "nice" around your enemies. Or maybe he was dreaming. Or maybe, he was just thinking stupid. Yeah, that must be it. 

After school, Syaoran got out of the school building only to find Eriol waiting for him outside. Eriol seemed upset from the looks of his face. But why? Syaoran approached his friend. "Hey, why the sour face?" he said. With that, Eriol punched his jaw with much strength. "What was that all about?!" Syaoran exclaimed, picking up his composure. 

"You paid Jin to kiss Sakura didn't you?!" Eriol shouted in fury. 

'What the hell?! How did he find out?' Syaoran thought, with no sensible words to reply. "What are you talking about?" was all he managed to say. 

"Answer me you god damn liar!" Eriol demanded. "You paid Jin to ruin what I thought of Sakura! I heard you talking to him this morning. Dammit Syaoran, how could you do this to me?! And all this time I thought you understood how I felt!" he added. Syaoran just stood there in silence. "You are so fucking narrow-minded! You destroyed everything for me! Syaoran, you are no smarter than a piece of rock!" Eriol continued spilling out his anger. 

"I... I did that for your sake!" Syaoran spoke up. "You and Sakura weren't even meant to be in the first place! I just did you a favor." He couldn't believe how furious Eriol was. But he couldn't believe how careless he was for even letting Eriol find out. 

"You dumbass! You made me think that Sakura wasn't worth it! But in reality, she is! You were just jealous that I have someone to love! And other than that, you couldn't put up with Sakura because she was your enemy! You care nothing about what others feel! You just want to be the center of everything! That's not a reason for you to destroy my relationship with Sakura!" Eriol shouted even more. Other people started to gather around to watch. Curious imbeciles. 

Sakura had just gotten out of the school building when she saw Eriol and Syaoran who both seemed to be angrily talking about something. 

Syaoran and Eriol saw Sakura behind them. "Sakura," Eriol uttered, the anger nowhere to be found. He left Syaoran and headed towards Sakura's direction. He got himself in front of her. Tomoyo, Chiharu and Rika stepped back, leaving Sakura and Eriol for themselves. "Sakura, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such an idiot," Eriol told her. 

Sakura looked at him with teary eyes. She saw Syaoran over Eriol back and remembered what he had said. 'If Eriol really loved me,' Sakura clearly recalled Syaoran's words. She turned to Eriol once again. "I... I'm sorry," she uttered. 

"What are you saying? I'm the one who should apologize to you. I love you Sakura. I love you very much," Eriol replied taking her hands in his. 

Sakura hesitated at first then eventually shook her head at him. "No, Eriol. It... It's over for both of us. There is... there is no more 'us' anymore," she stammered, avoiding to gaze into his eyes. 

Eriol refused to believe what she had just said. "No, it's not over yet, Sakura. You see, it wasn't your fault. We could still be together," he told her with a look that appeared very hopeful. 

"I'm sorry. I... have to go," Sakura muttered before she slipped her hands away and started to walk back. Eriol took her hand again and kept her close. 

"Tell me. Why? Why can't we be together?" Eriol asked. 

Sakura looked at him and answered, "If you really loved me, you wouldn't leave me just like that. You would've at least hear me out. And if you really loved me, you would've stayed with me no matter what happened." Her words were that of Syaoran's. It was what he told her before, much too alike. Syaoran stared at Sakura in surprise. Was she letting go of Eriol all because of what he told her?

Eriol looked at her with disappointment. He knew he had been a jerk and nothing more. Sakura was right. If he really loved her, he would've stayed with her no matter what. But fact is, he didn't and now, it was all over for him and Sakura. "I... I understand. Forgive me for being so harsh on you. I know you were hurt all because of me. I should've treated you better. I'm sorry I made you feel bad," Eriol said looking away. 

"Eriol, I can't feel any worse at the moment. I loved you, I really did but things just had to change. You were very kind to me and made me feel unlike any other guy has. However, I feel we are better off only as friends. You were a wonderful boyfriend but even more wonderful as a companion," Sakura managed to say despite how hard it was to hold her tears back. It was too much for her to handle. She felt like a complete fool except she was the fool who was doing the right thing. 

Syaoran was feeling as guilty as he had ever been. It was like all this time, he was trying to wreck Sakura's life, not caring about her feelings. He saw the sadness in his best friend's eyes and he just couldn't take it. Syaoran stood there as he watched Sakura and her friends walk past them. He knew what he did to her was wrong. 

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is anyone about to stare daggers at me??? or is anyone relieved about this chap??? hmm... you guys owe me a review for getting this far! you ought to give me one! pleeeaazzee [with puppy eyes]!!! any suggestions? plz no flames, k? i'm glad no one is giving me any. don't get me wrong. i'm not giving any ideas for someone to flame me! i'd slit my own throat if i did that. though that would be kinda gross... uck! anywayz, reviews are all welcomed. go ahead and press that button! 


	9. The IceSkating Trip

alright... finally eriol gets dumped.. wahahaha!!! anywayz, something happens in this chap (duh?). it's really nothing much but it will show wut happens due to sakura's breaking up wit eriol. hold it! it's not anything 'bad' or 'naughty', k? i won't write stuff like that in this story. so.. this chap is juz for something... did you actually understand that? oh yea, this chap is honestly boring... so don't expect too much from it... k?

note: 

to RmGrace, i appreciate your interest in mah story. really, i do... but i think you should save your energy and review juz once or even twice per chap, if you like. sorry if i deleted some of your reviewz from b4. i juz thought i wanted reviewz from different people, including you as one of them. thanks for understanding! mwaaah! 

Disclaimer: does the sentence, "i don't own ccs" make any sense to anyone???

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CHAPTER NINE

The Ice-Skating Trip

Eriol slumped back on his car seat. He was feeling so god damn depressed. As he started the car, he thought about everything that happened. He sighed, feeling ever-so annoyed with himself. He got his car started and went on his way home. As he got home, he quickly parked his car and got out, marching directly up to his room. He closed his door behind him and sat down on his bed. Just when he was about to take his shirt off, a knock on the door disrupted him. He groaned and stood up to open the door. It was one of their maids with a cordless phone in her hand. 

"It's a phone call from Ms. Daidouji, sir," the maid informed him. 

"Alright, you may go now," he said before the maid gave him the phone then ran off. Eriol held the phone by his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Eriol?" Tomoyo answered from the other line. 

"Oh, hey," Eriol uttered. Sakura immediately came in his mind. She is Tomoyo's best friend after all. 

"Um... I just wanted to see if you're doing okay," came Tomoyo's reply. 

"I'm fine. By the way, how is Sakura doing?" Eriol asked. Tomoyo suddenly went silent. "Hello? Are you still there?" he said. 

"Yeah, I'm still here. No need for you to worry about Sakura. She's alright, a little down, but still alright," Tomoyo retorted. 

"That's good. I was already feeling quite guilty after what happened," Eriol told her. 

"Eriol, do you really love Sakura?" Tomoyo asked him all of a sudden. 

"Huh? What are you talking about, Tomoyo? Of course I did," Eriol answered with complete honesty. "Why?"

"Did? Why are you using the past tense? I'm pretty sure you still love her. If you do, then don't you think you must win her back? Do you want to see her in some other guy's arms again? And this time, it's going to be for real," Tomoyo said. "Sakura has her weak points too, you know. Like relationships for example. Believe me, I know. She's been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Sakura still loves you, Eriol. It was hard for her to turn you down a while ago. She cried the whole time when she got home."

"Why are you telling me this?" Eriol questioned in curiosity. 

Tomoyo didn't answer at once. An unusual silence was present. Somehow, she seemed as though she was hesitating. "Because... Sakura is my best friend. I'll do anything for her to be happy," Tomoyo finally responded. "You love her, don't you? Then show her that you still do," she added. 

"But Sakura doesn't want to accept me," Eriol uttered. 

"It's not that she didn't want to. It was more like she needed to. Something or perhaps someone caused her to do that," Tomoyo said. "I can help if you want me to. I'll approach her myself and ask her about you. Then from there, maybe we can work something out."

"Alright. But I don't want to do something that will hurt her feelings even more," Eriol told Tomoyo. 

"Trust me, you won't. You just have to be true to your feelings as well," Tomoyo replied. "I have to go. I'll talk to you when I have the time." And with that, the call ended. All Eriol could hear was the dialtone so he put the phone down as well. 

~*~

Sakura had finally calmed down. This crying thing wasn't new to her anymore. She just didn't feel like torturing herself even more than before. She had dinner and took a shower then soon enough, got ready for bed. Sakura was still wondering about something though. Why was Eriol so mad at Syaoran that day? It's not as if Syaoran was even part of it to begin with, is it? Sakura tried to overlook her thoughts and made herself get some decent sleep for once. 

After three days...

Sakura jumped out of bed and got ready for school. They were going to have an ice-skating trip. Sakura remembered how good Tomoyo was at this... sport (?). While she, on the other hand, wasn't even close to Tomoyo's level. But she could skate, no doubt there. When Sakura got downstairs, she caught the scent of sweets. Something like the scent of dessert being baked in the oven. She headed towards the dining table to have breakfast. Afterwards, Touya brought out a container of some sort and handed it to Sakura. 

"What's in this?" she asked her brother. 

"It's a cake, what do you think it is? I baked it with the help of Yukito's recipe," Touya told her. 

"Since when did you learn how to bake?" Sakura said teasingly. "And most importantly, since when did you bake for ME?" she added in disbelief. Touya was being kinda weird. Was he sick or something?

"First of all, I learned how to bake from Yukito. Second of all, it's your ice-skiing trip today, isn't it? Well, if you don't want it, I would gladly take it back," Touya answered as he slowly got hold of the container.

Sakura took it from him and retorted, "I never said I didn't want it." She smiled and checked her watch. "Oh darn! I have to go. I might miss the trip. See you guys later!" she exclaimed before she started to leave. She stopped, looked back and said, "By the way, thanks a bunch for the cake." With that, she left the house and was driven to school [she couldn't bring her Porsche along, could she? if only!]. 

~*~

Syaoran had just arrived in school. He was early, quite unusual. But nevermind that. He had his bag with him and unfortunately, not his car [all hail Li's car!]. He was pacing around when he saw Eriol. Syaoran thought, 'Should I just come up to him and say, 'hey, you okay?' ? No way. I'll never do that. That would make me sound sick and pathetic.' Soon enough, Syaoran found himself in front of Eriol saying, "Hey, you okay?" Wow, he'll never do that huh?

"Yeah, I'm doing fine," Eriol answered. 

"Good for you. So, well, I don't know how to say this but, sorry," Syaoran told him, feeling guilt emerge inside him again. 

"No prob, Li. I'm doing fine and Sakura's doing fine. That's all that matters, right?" Eriol said as Syaoran just nodded in agreement. Shortly, after Syaoran and Eriol had arrived, Sakura and Tomoyo showed up. The two guys approached them reluctantly. "Hey, you girls ready for the trip?" Eriol just had to say something. 

Tomoyo gave Sakura a slight jab and Sakura replied a simple "uh-huh". Tomoyo eyed at how Sakura was acting but things seemed quite normal. But being Sakura's best friend and all, she spotted the not so obvious uneasiness of Sakura when she was near Eriol. "Um... I heard we were going to be scattered in groups later," Tomoyo brought a subject up. "I'm really looking forward to the trip. I mean, try checking the schedule. It's all ice-skating and eat or rest then back to ice-skating again." 

"Yeah, the teachers seem like were finally getting some influence on them," Eriol joked, causing all of them to snicker. 

"Anyway, want to sit near each other in the bus? You know, so we could get to hang out together for once," Tomoyo suggested. 

"Sure. That'd be great," Eriol answered, expecting Syaoran to complain right after. But... nothing. He didn't say a word of protest at all. The four headed to the buses as soon as their departure was near at hand. They got seated by the back so all four of them were beside one another. Soon, other students started to occupy the seats in the front part of the bus then they were on their way to ice-skating rink.

~*~

I was seated by the window and Syaoran was on the other side. Tomoyo and Eriol were in between us. I was feeling so frustrated that Eriol and Syaoran had to be near us. Because of them, I barely said much the whole time in the bus. I didn't talk when none of them talked to me first. I was... quiet. Can you believe that?

It took some time before we finally arrived at our destination. We all disembarked from the bus and proceeded to the rink. Tomoyo and I got a bench for ourselves. But just then, we had to be grouped. Exactly like what Tomoyo said earlier. Our instructors told to us to listen carefully as they announced our groupings. In no time, I was grouped with Tomoyo... Eriol and Syaoran?! What the hell?! I TRIED to secretly be put in some other group but to my darn luck, failed. I had to be stuck with my yesterday boyfriend and my current rival. Well, I should look on the bright side, right? At least Tomoyo's with me. 

Tomoyo and I put our skating shoes on and got in the rink. Tomoyo put on quite a show. She did beautiful twirls and she performed other graceful moves. While she did all that, I just skated around on my own. It was a breeze for me now, very different from before. I skated around for a while until I caught sight of Tomoyo talking to Eriol. They were casting glances at me maybe because they didn't think I'd see them. Tomoyo approached me after that. 

"Um... Sakura? May I talk to you for a minute?" she asked me as we skated towards the edge of the rink. I held on to the rail to keep myself steady as I listened to what my best friend had to say. She seemed to stammer at first but I tried to ignore it anyway. "D-do you still love Eriol?" Tomoyo caught me by surprise. 

"W-what? What are you talking about?" I uttered. Why was she suddenly bringing that subject up?

"I said, do you still love Eriol?" she repeated her question. 

"I... I thought I made it clear that I don't want to talk about him anymore," I said. "I broke up with him and that's that. I'm sure I'll find the right one for me and until then, I'm going to be okay by myself."

"What are you talking about? You love him, don't you?" Tomoyo insisted. But somehow, she appeared as though she was in doubt with what she was saying. 

"Tomoyo, I don't love Eriol anymore. I only like him now as a friend and nothing more than that," I replied, trying my best to prove I no longer have feelings for him. 

"I... I can't believe you. Eriol's a nice guy and you can let go of him just like that?" Tomoyo started to sound differently. "Why don't you at least try to work things out even for one last time? It wouldn't hurt to love once more, would it? We both know how much you love Eriol. Try to talk to him for once," she continued. 

"Drop it, Tomoyo. I don't want to talk about him anymore!" I told her as I skated away. I didn't know what I felt right then. I was confused when suddenly, I saw someone moving my way to confront me. 'Oh shit.'

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wahahaha! cliff-hanger!!! who could it be??? hmm... i dunno. haven't figured that out myself! but seriously, i haven't, but i've got ideas already. wut do you think? anywayz, i really need reviewz. i maybe askin a bit too much but hey, that's the price you gotta pay for readin.. joke! juz want to hear from ya, all clear? so, i'll be expectin reviews to show up or else... O_o lol! 


	10. Denial Once Again

is it me or is this story getting a tad bit dramatic??? eek! that is so not like moi. i still can't beliv i got this far though. i quickly run out of ideas, that's why. anywayz, hope this thing doesn't be such a dramatic shit-filled fic. see 4 yourself...

Disclaimer: ... *sorry, blue-angel45 cannot attend to you now... please leave a message after the beep...............*

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CHAPTER TEN

Denial Once Again

'Oh shit,' Sakura thought as she tried to be cool. 'Man, what does he want now?' Sakura's sight was locked on the brown haired guy walking or should I say, skating towards her. When he got to her, he stopped and she waited until he said something first. 

"Um... Kinomoto... I..." Syaoran began, obviously at a loss for words. 

"What are you trying to say?" Sakura asked knowing that if she didn't, their conversation wouldn't be going anywhere. To some point, she was relieved it was Syaoran who was in front of her right at that moment. She knew he was actually one of the few people she could properly talk to. What she meant by properly was that she could talk to him without being so nervous. 

He flushed upon hearing what Sakura said and realized that he needed to speak up before he made a complete fool of himself in front of her. "I think you made a big mistake when you broke up with Eriol," Syaoran finally made sense. 

"What's gone wrong with everyone lately? You are the last person I'd think of, who would come up to me and say what you just did," Sakura said. She was getting annoyed by the idea of people wanting Eriol and her to be back together. But she knew it just could not be done. It was possible but somehow, more impossible. God knows she loved Eriol but something in her told her not to. "Why does everyone keep saying that I'm still in love with Eriol?!" Sakura added, this time a bit louder. 

When Sakura said this, she didn't notice the person standing behind her. "Why? Aren't you?" the person behind her said. Sakura turned only to see it was Eriol and she suddenly felt queasy. 

"I... I... I don't know," she uttered when their instructors called for a 5-minute break. "I have to go," Sakura replied then hurriedly left the rink. 

Eriol shook his head telling himself that what he did was a bad move. He skated away and something told Syaoran that he needed to talk to Sakura about that. He wavered for a while but he did go after her eventually. He found Sakura seated on one of the benches at the back. She was alone for once. Syaoran didn't think he'd ever see her that way. He approached her and got seated on the opposite side of the bench. Sakura was silent and Syaoran hated the fact that she was. Normally, he'd consider it a blessing from God whenever she was quiet but this time, he didn't. 

"You okay?" Syaoran gathered all his guts to ask her a question and a silly one at that. 

Sakura didn't move an inch. "Yeah, I think so," was all she could answer. How come she didn't start yapping in anger? Usually she'd be mad at Syaoran for sticking his face in her business.

"I'm sorry about what happened back there," Syaoran said. He couldn't believe what he heard himself say. 

"Save your pity. I don't need it. I'm alright," Sakura uttered. 

Syaoran sighed at seeing how uninterested Sakura seemed. "It's not that I'm looking down on you. I only hate it when I see you this way. I'm just not used to it," he retorted. 

"Don't worry. You don't ever have to get used to it," she replied. "I'm just so confused. I don't even have the slightest idea on what I should be feeling right now. Should I be sad that I turned Eriol down? Should I be happy knowing that people are concerned? Should I be mad that everyone is meddling with MY personal business? Or should I be plain pissed off about everything that is getting so screwed in my life?" At last, it came out. 

"I don't believe you have to think so much about what you should feel. I think you just have to let your heart do all the thinking for you. I know it sounds crazy coming from me but it's actually what I think is best right now," Syaoran told her. 

Sakura turned to him in surprise. She was silent, looking into Syaoran's amber eyes. "Where do you get all the advice you're giving me?" she asked him with a slight smile on her face. 

"I have a life too, you know. But actually, I don't know. I just sort of say them when I talk to you," Syaoran admitted. It was true after all. He had never really given that much advice to anyone in particular. Sakura was the first person he tried to comfort (?) [backtracking] ...help. Comfort is too mushy a word for Syaoran. He stood up and left her on her own. 

"That Syaoran is so difficult to understand," Sakura whispered to herself when a sudden smirk crossed her face. When their break was done, Sakura came back to the rink to do some more skating. She decided she'd stay alone for a while. The five-minute break earlier wasn't quite enough for Sakura to deal with her thoughts. 'This is so damn annoying. Why can't I cool down for even just a short while?' she told herself as she sped up with her pace. With doing this, she began to lose her balance and was skating out of control. Sakura tried to keep herself as steady as she possibly could but unfortunately, to no avail. She slipped and quickly found herself in Eriol's firm grasp. She looked up to him but said nothing. 

"You alright?" he asked Sakura as he slowly released her. 

Sakura nodded and replied, "Thanks. I guess I owe you for that."

"I'm just glad you didn't get hurt," Eriol uttered with his sweet smile. Soon enough, Tomoyo came by and asked Sakura if she was okay. 

"It was just a little slip. I'm okay, Tomoyo," she answered then turned to Eriol once again. With a bit of hesitation, she began to speak the things she had had in mind. "I... I think I'm quite aware of my feelings now," she started. Tomoyo showed a slight reaction to what Sakura said as though she was nervous of what Sakura was about to say. "Eriol, to tell you the truth, I still have feelings for you. I know I would've done the same as what you did earlier today if I were in your shoes," Sakura told him. "It's just that the way I feel about you before and now are just not the same anymore. I'm sorry but that's the truth. Don't think I'm trying to give you a taste of your own medicine coz I'm not. I'm just doing what I think is the right thing."

Eriol stared at her for a minute there, trying to digest everything Sakura just said. He wanted to say something but Sakura put a finger on his lips to prevent him from doing so. 

"This is it for us. We can't go any further. Enough is enough and I believe that I'm ready to move on. But the question is, are you willing to do the same?" Sakura asked. 

Eriol sneered once and said, "You must think I'm so stupid for being this persistent until now. I've been acting so immature as well." He couldn't even look at Sakura straight in the eye. He was dejected and all his hopes of getting back with Sakura vanished then and there. 

She shook her head and said, "I wouldn't dare think that way about you. Still friends, right?"

"Of course," Eriol answered faintly as he then separated himself from the group. Tomoyo immediately went after him. She felt like she needed to have a word with him. She felt sorry for the guy. She followed Eriol to the side of the rink even though Sakura didn't notice her leave. Tomoyo approached Eriol and tried to find the right words to tell him. 

"I'm sorry it didn't turn out the way I said it would. I guess I should've just minded my own business," she said. 

Eriol turned to face her when he replied, "It wasn't your fault. I'm the one who's pathetic around here. I hurt Sakura's feelings and then once she was gone, I ran after her like a stray puppy following its master. I'm just really THAT careless and stupid."

"No you're not!" Tomoyo blurted out. Now where did that come from? "You loved Sakura and it wasn't your fault. To begin with, you just mistook Sakura to be toying with your feelings. I think your reaction to seeing her in the wrong way just proved that you really did love her," she continued. 

"You've been really nice to me, Tomoyo. Thanks for everything," Eriol told her with a smile on his face. Tomoyo was happy that she was able to make him smile once again. It was the least she could do for him. "Maybe we should both get back to the group before the instructors get mad," Eriol suggested as he pointed at the two instructors who were eyeing at them. 

"That's a good idea," Tomoyo replied as she and Eriol came back with Sakura and Syaoran who were practically not talking to each other. 

The four of them started to do some moves that the instructor performed for them earlier. Sakura and Eriol tried their best to act normal around one another especially since Tomoyo and Syaoran were also around. With a couple of twists and turns and swings and swirls [sounds more like ballroom] and some more graceful moves, Sakura's group was doing their skating better than any other group on the ice. 

Later that afternoon, they had to return to school. Sakura got off the bus when she spotted her brother's car and said she had to go. Tomoyo bid her goodbye before she went off with Eriol and Syaoran, who had to leave as well soon enough. That left only Tomoyo and Eriol with each other. They walked around the school grounds until they tired themselves out. They sat on a bench by the side of the school building. The two talked for a while till they soon noticed that it was getting dark and Tomoyo's ride hasn't come to fetch her yet. 

"Do you want me to bring you home?" Eriol suggested. 

"Thanks but that would be too much trouble for you," Tomoyo uttered. 

"I really wouldn't mind. Besides, if I brought you home, I'd be assured that you got home safe," Eriol replied. A bright shade of red flashed on Tomoyo's cheeks. 

"That would be awfully kind of you," she retorted with a smile. 

"Well then, let's get going before night comes crashing," Eriol said as he stood up and led Tomoyo to his car. He opened the door for her and she climbed in without delay. Eriol got in as well and off they went. "Lead the way, Miss," Eriol told her as they got on the road. 

"Eriol, may I ask you something?" Tomoyo started the conversation. 

"Sure, anything. What is it?"

"Sakura once told me that she was sure she would find the right one for her someday. Is there a possibility that she can really be by herself until then?" Tomoyo asked in concern. 

Eriol locked his eyes on the girl seated beside him but still made sure he was careful on the road. "She told you that?" Tomoyo nodded in response. "I'm positive she will. I'll do anything for her to be happy until I find the right one for me as well," Eriol told her and silence ensued between them. 

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i'm sorry if u don't like how the story is going but if you have any suggestions or corrections, i would really like you guyz to tell me bout it. you guyz juz wait till the next chap is up. things are certainly going to get even more exciting in this fic. oh b4 u even forget, REVIEWS are needed for this fic to continue.. and THANX to those who constantly review as well!!! luv ya!

*.................................................... beep!*


	11. Feeling a Bond

first of all, THANX to all those who reviewed and still do. i really appreciate your kind remarks. anywayz, back to the story... i'm not going to sit here and give away wut's going to happen in this chap. it's really sweet so i won't even bother to give you a hint of wut's going to happen. you guys will juz havta find out for yourselves... wahahaha!!! and so, here it is... chapter ELEVEN...

note: oh yea... about that kinOmoto thing.. i've already started on that.. i was corrected by a friend of mine who is also into writin fix bout ccs. i wuz plannin that b4 i upload the last 2 chaps, i'd fix all the mispelled thingies here if i can.. but i'm gettin lazy... it's marga's fault!!! anywayz, thanx to the peep(z) hu even botherd to correct me. but hey, like i olweiz say, no one's perfect, right?

Disclaimer: [out for lunch]

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

Feeling a Bond

I had gotten home early since my brother picked me up. I came home and went upstairs to get changed. I was completely worn out by all the skating we had to do. And to think there was school the next day makes my head ache even more. Then I remembered it was a Friday tomorrow and a weekend the day after that. I was getting fatigued just thinking about more work in school. "School is a burden to my personal life!" I reminded myself before I sank down on my bed in exhaustion. "Better get some sleep or waking up will be a problem for me again." With that, I shut out the lights and tucked myself in for the night. 

I awoke the next day and got up still all groggy and sluggish. I rubbed my eyes and headed for the shower to wash off my sleepiness. I stepped out of the bathroom and quickly decided on my clothes. Soon enough, I was dressed and I hurried downstairs to eat my breakfast. And after that, I got on my Porsche and drove it to school. The first person I saw when I got off my car was Li. Of all the people I had to see when I got to school, why did it have to be him? I straightened my attire and walked towards him. Not that I was even going to talk to him. He was in my way by coincidence and nothing else.

~*~

I had just arrived in school when I saw her. Her car was parked near mine. She passed by me but I said nothing. What was I supposed to say to begin with? Oh good morning, Kinomoto! As if I had the demeanor to do that in school. She's not my friend yet. Both of us agreed on that. Hold it!!! What did I mean 'yet'? I think I have a fever or something. Curse my brain!

I turned around and found myself walking behind Sakura. I wasn't following her. It just so happened that we were going towards the same direction. I'm not crazy enough to follow her, am I? Of course not! Syaoran, what the hell are you thinking? I bet Meilin drugged me while I was asleep. That must be the reason why I'm acting so weird. Sakura has nothing to do with me. She's only my best friend's ex-girlfriend. Shit. It's all Eriol's fault! He has given me the disease that lessens your hatred for your enemy. This is way worse than before! Damn... I sound like crap.

~*~

Li has been walking behind me since I came to school. If he doesn't stop doing that, I'm going to lose all sanity I have! Calm down, Sakura. It's not like he was intentionally following you. It's just coincidence that he's behind you. Yep, coincidence once again, the same ol' lame excuse. Can someone please help me! I think I need professional help and serious medical attention from the mental hospital. I need the right prescription here! Sakura, calm down god dammit! I'm going to be okay, right? I'm gonna live through this... somehow. I'm going to ignore Syaoran for now and then if he still doesn't stop, I'll tell him to quit it. If he doesn't listen, I'll shout at him. If all else fails, running away will be the best thing to do! To hell with that! It's not as if that's even going to happen. 

I got my stuff from my locker and headed to the classroom. To my relief, Syaoran was there no more. See? It's just coincidence. Why do I keep saying that? It's getting rather annoying! When I finally got to the classroom, I quickly got settled on my seat. Syaoran came afterwards. He took his seat behind me. I didn't mind it anymore. I had to act normal or else I'd look stupid in front of him and the whole class as well. We all *eagerly* waited for the teacher to come. She was late, as usual. She started the lessons quickly and started to write down details on the blackboard. That's how school started for me that day. Thank God it was a Friday. I could've sworn today was the first time I said that. 

~*~

When the bell rang, signaling the first break, Sakura rushed out of the classroom to meet up with Tomoyo outside. The crowd of students was really hard to get through. Sakura forced her way through the bunch of people and spotted Tomoyo nearby. She approached her and suggested they go to the cafeteria. To her surprise, Syaoran and Eriol were there too. Eriol invited the two girls over to share the table with them. 

"Hey guys," Tomoyo greeted them. 

"Yeah, what's up with you two?" Eriol replied as Tomoyo and Sakura got seated. 

"Oh there's a lot that's up with us. Boredom, boredom, and even more boredom," Sakura answered. 

"Aren't you going to get yourselves anything to eat?" Eriol asked. 

"Sakura doesn't eat during the first break anymore," Tomoyo told her. 

"Then what about you?" Eriol turned to Tomoyo. 

"I was just about to go get something to eat," she replied as she got up from her seat. 

"I'll go with you. I'm starved," Eriol said, following Tomoyo to the line by the food stand. That means...

"Looks like we're on our own," Syaoran spoke up all of a sudden. 

"Yeah, looks like it," was all Sakura could say. "But aren't you going to get something to eat as well?" she asked. She didn't even know why she was talking to Syaoran. So maybe she has talked to him before but not while so many other people were around. 

"Nah. I'm still a bit stuffed right now," Syaoran answered. 

Sakura looked over to where Tomoyo and Eriol were standing. They looked so... close, if that was the word to describe the two. "Hey, Li, look at them," Sakura told Syaoran as she pointed to Tomoyo and Eriol. 

"What about them?" Syaoran retorted. 

"They look kind of good together, don't you think?" Sakura called for Syaoran's opinion. "Just watch how close they are. The smiles, the eye-contact, the teasing, and the laughter. It's all there." 

"Huh? What are you trying to say?" he asked in confusion. 

"Eriol may learn to like her as more than just a friend someday," Sakura uttered as she looked away from them. 

"You're still not over him, are you?" 

Sakura promptly turned to him. "Of course I have. Do you think I'm just lying?" With the look Syaoran gave her, she finally gave up. "So, maybe I haven't. Is that a crime or something? I know I said I was ready to move on but it's actually much more difficult than it sounds," she admitted. 

Syaoran grinned and replied, "Then you did lie to Eriol."

"No I didn't. Well technically, I did but... You know what? You're confusing me so can we not talk about this?" Sakura said. 

"Sure, whatever. You're the one who started it," Syaoran told her. He was right after all. 

"You didn't have to remind me," Sakura said as both of them just waited for the other two to get back. Later that day, the four of them kept each other company again. It was quite weird because they never really thought they'd EVER hang out even for only once in their lifetime. Sakura wasn't quite used to it and she knew she didn't want to get used to it. It was just so not the same. Why did they even start to hang out in the first place? By the end of the day, the other students have been talking about them. It was very unlikely for them to go together in one group. It sounded so impossible before. It was like putting two atomic bombs in a can. 

Sakura and the others decided to go to a club after school that day. Not a club with bimbos and bachelors but one like a modern day disco with a bar. [I think the place with prostis are called night clubs. Clubs are more decent at least.] Sakura, Tomoyo, Eriol, and Syaoran went to a club called "Seventh Heaven". They all went there using their own cars, all except for Tomoyo who joined Eriol the ride there. 

When the group arrived, they got a table and ordered in some beer. Shortly after they arrived, romantic songs started to play. A couple of guys have asked Sakura to dance but she turned them all down. Eriol asked Tomoyo to have a dance with him while Syaoran and Sakura stayed by the table again. Sakura watched the couples dance to the slow and steady rhythm that filled the entire place. In time, Sakura began to envy them. She wished she had her special someone right then. Syaoran immediately noticed this and decided to ask her to dance just this once. Unexpectedly, she agreed and the two made their way to the dance floor. 

Sakura placed her hands behind Syaoran's neck as he placed his on her hips. Both of them started to dance to the harmonious melody. At first, Sakura couldn't relax being so close to Syaoran and all but eventually, she became comfortable. She felt so secure having Syaoran hold her like that. She never thought Syaoran could be so gentle but she tried to drive these thoughts away. In a few minutes, the next music played and it was even more romantic. The other couples were practically embracing each other. Suddenly, Syaoran pulled her close. Close enough for her to feel the warmth of his body. Sakura was glad the light was dim or many people would've seen how intensely she was blushing. Sakura lay her head on his chest as they continued to dance. She felt so calm having his arms wrapped around her.

Normally, Syaoran wouldn't go even a meter close to Sakura as much as possible but this time, it was contrasted. He was in fact happy that Sakura was dancing with him. She wasn't angry at him at all or so he thought she wasn't. The way he felt about Sakura at that very moment was different. He didn't feel any hatred for her. It was almost as if he actually *liked* her. 'That's crap! How can you think like that?!' he scolded himself then looked at the auburn hair buried at his chest. 

Later that evening, Tomoyo knew it was getting late so she asked Eriol if he could bring her home already. Eriol consented to her request and said he would just drive Tomoyo over to her place then come back. The two were gone in no time, leaving Syaoran and Sakura behind. They were only a bit drunk and tired as well. Sakura wasn't really much of a drinker and Syaoran knew how to handle his alcohol. 

Syaoran didn't know what he was doing at that very moment. He knew he had feelings for Sakura but supposed it was just an effect the alcohol was giving him. But somewhere, deep inside him, he knew he liked her. Sakura was a nice girl after all. That's why Eriol fell in love with her. Syaoran tried to shake off all his thoughts about Sakura and just watched her sitting there with a contented smile on her face. Her every move and her ever so beautiful appearance was etched in Syaoran's mind. And at that very moment, he knew he was in-love.. 

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juz got back from lunch... i'm feelin a bit excited when i write this story... it's juz gettin really niceee... everything is going mushy!!! you guys really havta REVIEW the story and nag me to post the next chap... i don't even know if ur still interested but review anywayz. ;p all this romance might not last too long... something unexpected can happen, ya know. keep in touch! 


	12. Unexpected Accident

oh look, i've gone this far already.. yey! anywayz, is our li really fallin for sakura??? btw, THANKS A LOT for the reviewz u guyz hav givn me... it really means much... i know i've sed that fo lyk a million times but hey, i barely get enuff of d same thing.. wahahaha! u guyz juz keep readin on... i've been so crazy lately. hehe, u guyz juz enjoy, k? 

Disclaimer: ccs is clamp's. anywayz, there are songs in this chap of the story. the first song is "when i'm wit u". it's by simple plan. the second is "naked" by avril lavigne! hehe... so, if u want tah listen tah wut the songz r lyk, get the mp3 and listen to it while ur readin...

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CHAPTER TWELVE

Unexpected Accident

Syaoran stared at the girl seated beside him. Slowly, he was being enticed by her. 'Sakura... Am I... Am I falling for you?' he thought. Syaoran shook his head and refused to believe what he just said. How could he be in love with... Sakura? No way, that was way too impossible. He must've have been drunk somehow. Yeah, that must've been the sole reason of his absurd thoughts. "Sakura," he accidentally muttered. She turned to face him and Syaoran felt himself flash a tad red. "You wanna have another drink?" he covered up his embarrassment with an offer. 

Sakura shook her head and softly replied, "No, I think I've had enough for one night. Actually, I was thinking that I'd be on my way home soon. I might not wait until Eriol gets back anymore. That's okay with you, right?" 

"Yeah, sure, if that's what you want then go ahead. But... could you have a last dance with me?" Syaoran asked. He expected her to get angry, perhaps thinking that he was just teasing her. 

"Sure, I guess," Sakura answered. Syaoran couldn't believe it. Why wasn't she pissed off? She was supposed to be pissed off. Syaoran stood up on his feet and took Sakura's hand in his. They headed towards the dance floor nearly crowded by couples having a great time. The song being played was downright fanciful. This made Syaoran even more nervous than he had ever been. The fact that he felt so weird really got him annoyed. 

The two held on to each other and let their bodies dance at their own will. Things were going smooth until...

"Sakura, I love you," Syaoran suddenly whispered to Sakura. Her eyes slightly widened in surprise. 

The girl pulled away and said, "What did you just say?" 

"Sakura, I think I'm in love with you..." Syaoran repeated himself. He didn't know why but even if someone told him he had gone crazy, he wouldn't care. It's as long as he told Sakura what his true feelings were. It's enough that she actually knew. 

"Have you gone mad or something?" Sakura beamed out, her voice going against the music. 

"No, I feel like I do love you. I don't know why but I just know that's what I really feel about you," Syaoran talked back. Sakura started to walk away but barely keeping him behind. He hastily went after her until they were already outside. 

"Syaoran, there's a difference between liking and loving someone. When you think you have feelings for someone, you ought to have realized that there are certain risks in every step you take," Sakura told him. 

"If you love someone, you wouldn't care about those risks," Syaoran said, causing Sakura to go silent for a short while. 

"You do not know what you're talking about," she replied, putting emphasis on the words "do not". 

"What if I proved to you that I do?" Syaoran told her when he suddenly took Sakura in his arms and planted a kiss on her soft lips. Sakura didn't respond to this as he had expected her to. She pulled back and turned away. Syaoran had no choice but to release her from his firm hold. Sakura said nothing but instead, climbed in her car and left the area. 'How crazy can you get Syaoran? What the fuck did you just do?!' Syaoran mentally slapped himself back to reality. 

He kicked a stray can from the ground as he walked to his car. It had started to rain. He got in and turned the radio on. The music that was playing was on such bad timing.

"WHEN I'M WITH YOU"

TAKING MY TIME

'Dammit, Sakura... Why am I suddenly acting like this just because you're near me?' 

I'M TRYING TO LEAVE THE MEMORIES BEHIND 

Syaoran tried to keep himself from bursting out in anger. Was it really because of anger?

I'M GONNA BE FINE.. AS SOON AS I GET YOU PICTURE OUT OF MY MIND 

'Sakura, I can't believe how I feel about you... It's just not right.'

[CHORUS] I WANNA FEEL THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL WHEN I'M WITH YOU 

I WANNA BE THE ONLY HAND YOU NEED TO HOLD ON 

'How could have I thought things could work out between us? I'm really stupid for simply falling for you...'

BUT EVERYTHIME I CALL, YOU DON'T HAVE TIME 

I GUESS I'LL NEVER GET TO CALL YOU MINE 

'You will never consider me as someone other than an ordinary guy.'

FOR NOTHING AT ALL, I KNOW THERE'S A MILLION REASONS WHY I SHOULDN'T CALL 

WITH NOTHING TO SAY, COULD EASILY MAKE THIS CONVERSATION LAST ALL DAY 

'So was that it? Will you never learn to return my feelings for you? To you, I am nothing but a fool. Maybe I am...'

[CHORUS]

'Stupid feelings. Kinimoto Sakura, I'm in love with you but I'm not so sure if things will ever click between us.'

ANOTHER LESSON I DIDN'T GET TO LEARN 

YOU'RE MY OBSESSION 

I'VE GOT NOWHERE TO TURN...

'Fuck this shit,' Syaoran thought as he hit the seat opposite to him. 'Kinimoto will NEVER love me back... not even after a thousand years have passed.'

[CHORUS X2]

Syaoran made his way to the crazy traffic. It was such a hassle but by threatening the other drivers, he was able to get through anyway. He was in a not so good mood, being irritated and all. Another song came in the radio. 

"NAKED"

I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, PUT ON MY FACE 

THE ONE THAT'S GONNA GET ME THROUGH ANOTHER DAY 

DOESN'T REALLY MATTER... HOW I FEEL INSIDE 

THIS LIFE IS LIKE A GAME SOMETIMES.. 

THEN YOU CAME AROUND ME, THE WALLS JUST DISAPPEARED 

NOTHING TO SURROUND ME.. KEEP ME FROM MY FEARS..

'Sakura, how could I have been so blind not to notice who you really are to me?' 

I'M UNPROTECTED 

SEE HOW I'VE OPENED UP.. OH 

YOU'VE MADE ME TRUST... 

'No one in school has ever known me longer than you have.'

[CHORUS] COZ I'VE NEVER FELT LIKE THIS BEFORE 

I'M NAKED AROUND YOU.. DOES IT SHOW? 

YOU SEE RIGHT THROUGH ME AND I CAN'T HIDE.. 

I'M NAKED AROUND YOU.. AND IT FEELS SO RIGHT.. 

'Sakura, you are truly one in a million. It sounds corny, but it's true.'

I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER.. WHY I WAS AFRAID.. 

TO BE MYSELF AND LET THE COVERS FALL AWAY.. 

GUESS I'VE NEVER HAD SOMEONE LIKE YOU... 

TO HELP ME FIT.. IN MY SKIN.. 

[CHORUS]

*I'M NAKED AROUND YOU 

AND I CAN'T HIDE

YOU'RE GONNA SEE RIGHT THROUGH ME (X2) 

{REPEAT *} BABY.. 

Syaoran arrived home and got out of his car. The rain was getting stronger by the minute. The moment he entered his house, Meilin came to him wearing an expression he couldn't quite explain. "What do you want, Meilin?" he asked her in an angry tone. When he saw that Meilin was serious, the anger on his face faltered into a curious but worried look. "What's wrong with you?" he asked differently. 

"It's about Kinimoto," Meilin replied. The look imprinted on her face was almost dreadful in a sense that what she was about to say wouldn't be good to hear at all. 

"What is it? What about Sakura?" Syaoran promptly demanded for an answer from Meilin. 

"Eriol called a few minutes ago... And..." she answered but suddenly paused.

"Meilin! Dammit! Just tell me what the hell happened!" Syaoran's patience was going on the edge. 

"Kinimoto was... she was involved in a car accident. She was badly injured and is in Kawasaki Hospital right now. Eriol didn't mention anything about her being okay. I could hardly make out his words. He was in panic," Meilin explained. Syaoran was shocked when he heard this and he didn't have a moment to spare. He had to see Sakura. He had to make sure she would live through this. 

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i think this chap has the least words yet... it's only long coz the songs are like split in lines. oh yea.......... SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY!!!! SORRY TO EVERYONE WHO DUZN'T LIKE WA HAPPENED!!!!

anywayz, mah first time puttin songs actually. it was mah idea of puttin it in this "episode" but the songs aren't mine, as said so on the disclaimer... oh and f ya hav a better idea for songs, u could tell me anythin, k? there are tons of songs out there... i'm juz not so sure which ones would spark the readerz' interests. anywayz, as usual... REVIEWZzzz... that's all... lol! ^_^


	13. Sakura's Life Changes

um... the previous chap wuzn't really much of a cliffy... i guez the sich between sakura's life or death is the suspense here. well, let's not get on wit the meaningless yappin here and instead, i order you to start readin!!! joke... hehe Ü.

Disclaimer: do i havta repeat this over and over and over again??? i don't own ccs... go get a hobby...

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Sakura's Life Changes

The nurses were scurrying around Kawasaki Hospital seeing a girl lying unconscious with blood-drenched clothes. She had a severe knock on the head that most likely could've reached her nervous system. A seventeen year old girl with auburn hair was being rushed to the emergency room. The girl they identified as Sakura Kinomoto. 

~*~

Syaoran's car ran past the driveway like a storm, as if he was running for his life. But wait a second... he was running for his life... Kinomoto IS his life. He had to see her... desperately. He didn't know if she was okay but at least he had to find out for himself. He would do anything for Sakura to be alive; anything for her to live through that accident. Syaoran parked his car right in front of the hospital then scooted inside. 

He ran to the nurse's station and asked where Sakura was in an almost commanding voice. "Sir, please lower your voice. You are in a hospital," the nurse said. 

"Where is Sakura Kinomoto staying?" Syaoran tried to calm down but not to any avail. 

The nurse started to check on the list of patients beside her. "Are you a relative of Ms. Kinomoto?" she asked Syaoran. 

"No, but I'm a friend. Could you just tell me where she is?" he replied. 

"I'm sorry sir but I'm afraid you can't see her just yet. Ms. Kinomoto is in the operating room at the moment. She was brought there for about an hour ago," the nurse told him. 

"Is she alright? When can she get out? What happened to her anyway?" Syaoran bombarded the nurse with questions. 

"Calm down, sir. The doctors are doing the best they can. You may settle in the waiting room if you'd like to hear what the doctor has to say. Ms. Kinomoto's family and friends are there as well," the nurse suggested as she pointed out the way to the waiting room. 

Syaoran decided he'd wait there until Sakura got out of the operating room. He left the nurse's station and headed to the place where he saw Eriol and Tomoyo. "How long have you two been here?" he asked them. 

"We just got here around ten minutes ago," Tomoyo answered. Syaoran took the seat beside the two. 

"Sakura's in the operating room," Eriol told Syaoran. 

"I know," Syaoran retorted. 

"The nurses said Sakura was bleeding badly when she came here," Tomoyo said. This quickly caught Syaoran's attention. 

"Do you think she can make it out of this? It just sounds so serious," Syaoran suddenly blurted out. 

"Don't you dare say that!" Tomoyo exclaimed, causing all eyes in the room to turn to her. "Don't you dare say Sakura could die... because if you did, that's the worst thing you could ever do to her.. even worse than what you did to her before," she continued as tears made their way down her cheeks. Syaoran's eyes widened a bit in surprise. Did Tomoyo know about his deal with Jin? "Oh I know what you did. Eriol told me everything," Tomoyo added.

Syaoran went silent for a while before finally, he spoke up again. "I guess I deserve a couple of sermons right now, eh?" 

"Hell yeah," Eriol replied. "Well anyway, all we can do now is wait and hope that Sakura will do her part in this." 

After a couple of hours of unwanted suspense, the doctor came in the waiting room at last. Syaoran was the most eager to hear what the doctor was about to tell them. All of them, including Fujitaka and Touya, went to the doctor to hear whatever news he had in store for them.

"Doctor, how is my daughter doing?" Fujitaka immediately asked out of concern. "Is she alright?" 

"Sakura had a couple of injuries such as fractures, small cuts and such. We have finished the operation but right now, she is in a state of comma and there is no telling whether or not she is already out of danger. In a few days, we will probably find out so I'd suggest that you let her stay here for two weeks or so for some medical treatment..." the doctor explained Sakura's condition. "Oh and Mr. Kinimoto, can I talk to you in private?" the doctor asked Fujitaka as they parted from the group. 

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" Fujitaka started. 

"Sakura can live but... there's a big possibility of amnesia," the doctor told him.

"Pardon me but is it just my hearing or did you say Sakura has amnesia?" 

"Well, it's not certain yet but a while ago when I mentioned some of her injuries, I purposely missed out one of the worst ones she got. She received damage to her brain caused by the impact of the accident. That may cause impairment of memory, otherwise known as amnesia," the doctor said. 

"How severe can it be? How badly can this affect her?" Fujitaka was intrigued. 

"I'm afraid I cannot tell right now. We'll just have to wait until she gains consciousness once again," the doctor answered. 

"Please do whatever you can to assure me of my daughter's life," Fujitaka told the doctor. 

"We'll do what we can for now," he replied and with that, told a nurse to lead the others to where Sakura was in. She was on a hospital bunk with dextrose on her hand, an oxygen mask on her face and bandages wrapped on certain parts of her body. She was under the care of life-support systems. Sakura didn't seem like she was in pain but when you study her closely, you'll know that she is. Syaoran couldn't believe what he was seeing. It hurt him to see Sakura that way.

He and his friends got inside the room with Touya as well while Fujitaka stayed outside to talk with the doctor. Syaoran sat by Sakura. He carefully caressed her pale cheeks before taking his hand away. "Sakura, are you alright?" Syaoran asked her even when he knew she could not respond in her condition. "Stop this stupid little joke and wake up already!" 

Touya approached Sakura's bed and stood close to Syaoran. He put a hand on Syaoran's shoulder and snapped Syaoran back to reality. "I know it's hard for you to see her like this but hey, there's not much you can do except to believe in her. I know my sister well and I'm sure she's far from thinking of going to where our mother is," he said. 

Tomoyo and Eriol drew near and felt a sudden sadness filling their hearts. Everything had taken place without warning at all. They could not even bear to imagine what else would've happened if Sakura hadn't been brought to the hospital on time. If death did come to claim Sakura, perhaps nothing would ever be the same without her. 

...After one and a half week...

Syaoran woke up to the sound of his cellphone ringing. It was Saturday at two o'clock in the morning and he had barely gotten some sleep. He sluggishly tried to sit up as he reached out for his phone. For the past eleven days, he had been going to the hospital to check on Sakura. Often, he would go there with Eriol and Tomoyo but at times, he would go there by himself. The nurses already knew him and would greet him everytime he would come visit Sakura. He'd even bring flowers with him just in case she awoke. 

His fingers frantically searched the bedside table for his cellphone. He got tired of that and eventually had to get up to reach his phone. Syaoran grabbed it and placed it against his ear, answering it promptly before he missed the call. 

"Syaoran? Are you there?" the person on the other line said the second he answered his phone. 

"E-eriol? What the fuck were you thinking calling me two hours past midnight?!" Syaoran shouted at his best friend. "This call ought to be worth my precious sleeping time."

"Touya called me a while ago... Sakura's awake, Syaoran. She became conscious last night," Eriol said. 

Syaoran jumped out from bed. "What did you say?!" he tried to clarify what Eriol said, or at least what he thought Eriol said.

"Sakura's awake! Syaoran, which part of that sentence don't you understand?" Eriol replied. 

"Shut up. I'll go to the hospital as soon as I can. Are you guys there yet?" Syaoran asked as he started to select his clothes. 

"No but we're on our way. We'll get there in five minutes," Eriol told Syaoran. 

"Okay, I'll meet you there," he told Eriol before ending the call. Syaoran scampered to the bathroom, practically throwing his phone on the bed and pulling a towel along with him. He took a quick shower then threw on the clothes. He took his cellphone and shoved it in his pocket. Clutching the keys on the way, Syaoran ran downstairs and climbed in his Diablo. 

Syaoran arrived at Kawasaki Hospital and he hurried to where Sakura stayed on the fourth floor. He got upstairs with the use of the suddenly ever-so slow elevator then ran to Sakura's room, knocking firmly when he got there. He got in and found Eriol, Tomoyo, Touya and Fujitaka all blocking the way to Sakura. Syaoran got their attention and all four of them got out of the way so Syaoran could pass. His heart was beating like crazy. He felt nervous to a point where something seemed to be wrong. He tried to ignore that as he just verged upon Sakura. 

She was in a sitting up position with a pillow to support her back. She had a smile on her face, the one that Syaoran truly longed for. When Syaoran came nearer, he thought he saw a slight shade of pink climb up to Sakura's cheeks. He went even closer, practically standing right next to her bed. Sakura was now blushing immensely like she had never blushed before. 

"Sakura... I..." Syaoran found himself speechless all of a sudden. 

Sakura looked shy when she uttered, "Um... who-- who are you? I... I just can't really recognize you." This caused Syaoran to be overcome by bafflement. 

"Stop it, Sakura. It's me, Syaoran," he told her. 

Sakura now looked confused. He turned to Fujitaka who was standing on the other side of the bed. "Father, who is he?" she suddenly asked. Sakura seemed so curious and yet puzzled at the same time. But how could it be that Sakura didn't know Syaoran? 

"Syaoran, I have to talk to you for a minute outside," Fujitaka said as the two of them exited from the room. Once outside, Fujitaka started. "I don't know how I should tell you this but... Sakura has amnesia," he added, completely catching Syaoran off-guard. 

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wrap up... sakura was in an accident, ended in a comma for a couple of days then wakes up not knowin who her friends are... great huh? i know it's kind of weird AND stupid but is that my fault??? yea, like, duh... anywayz, wait for the next chap, k? i hope even after thiz chap, ya guyz will still review. byez.... ^_^


	14. A Second Chance

syaoran can't believe wut fujitaka told him... so, this chap is for that, actually. you'll see how he reacts to wut happened... anywayz, things will be a bit "dramatic", not gushy, dramatic. as in, SAD. ok, you guys juz havta work wit me here. hope you like this chap.. 

Disclaimer: go read the past disclaimers... read them CARE-FUL-LY... okay?

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A Second Chance

"That's a joke, right? Tell me you're just joking around. It just has to be a darn lie," Syaoran insisted only to find Fujitaka was actually very serious. 

"The doctor told me there was a big possibility of amnesia from the day of the accident. We decided not to tell anyone yet because that would mean jumping to conclusions. But... as you have witnessed, Sakura doesn't recall who you are. All she can remember is who Touya and me are since we are basically a part of her family. She hardly knows her name and her age and she cannot remember anything else. She can't even recognize either Tomoyo or Eriol. She's confused, Syaoran, terribly confused," Fujitaka explained. 

Syaoran shook his head in disbelief. "No way. I don't believe you. You're telling me that after all the sleepless nights I've gone through, desperately waiting for Sakura to wake up... she can't even remember anything?!" Syaoran said. 

"I don't blame you for being upset. Knowing you, Eriol and Tomoyo, I'm was so sure you'd feel like this. There's a slight chance though that Sakura can regain some of her lost memory. You guys will have to try and make her remember things step by step. Don't rush her and most especially, don't pressure her. You can do the usual things you used to do with her but she'll still have to stay home for tutoring instead of going to school," Fujitaka told him. "From now on, things would be a lot differen from before." 

Syaoran couldn't say anything. He didn't know what he as even supposed to say. His emotions were piling up one after another, rushing in like a river. Syaoran no longer knew how he'd act like around Sakura. It's as if she's one new person and he's just another stranger to her. She'd feel queasy around someone she doesn't know... [change that!] someone she doesn't remember. Syaoran took a deep breath and got back in the room. Tomoyo and Eriol were talking to Sakura. Syaoran cleared his throat to get their attention. 

"Sakura, this is Li but you can call him Syaoran," Eriol "introduced" him. 

"Oh hi," Sakura greeted him as friendly as ever. 

"Hey," was all Syaoran managed to say. Sakura turned a tad red. "Uhh... how are you feeling?" he asked her. 

"Okay, I think. My head is still aching but I'm okay," she replied. 

"That's good," Syaoran was having a hard time getting the right words to say. "So, when can you leave this place?" he asked. 

"My dad said I'd be leaving three days from now. From then, I'd be undergoing home care until I recover. I guess I got myself in a pretty bad car crash, eh? Don't really remember much of what happened though," Sakura said. 

"What's important now is that you're doing fine," Syaoran retorted. 

"By the way, how do you know me again? Ever since the accident, my thoughts have been really bizarre so I can't really recall much," Sakura asked him. 

"Umm... well..." Syaoran stuttered. 

"He's a friend of mine. Same here with Tomoyo and the bluebird. I mean, Eriol," Touya cut in, receiving a look from Eriol that said 'what do you mean by bluebird?'. 

"Y-yeah, th-thaat's true," Tomoyo stammered. "We're Touya's friends. We've met before. It's just that perhaps you forgot already. It's been quite some time since we met each other." 

"O-kaay," Sakura said with doubt in her tone of voice. "You guys alright? You suddenly look pale." 

"It's just the heat. It's killing me," Eriol tried to back Tomoyo up. 

"Heat? It's three o'clock in the morning and it's actually a bit chilly in here," Sakura told them. 

"Cut it out guys," Syaoran spoke up. "Sakura, we're just... worried and... nervous. But that's really nothing now." 

"Whatever you say," she retorted with a smirk. 

They started to have a conversation. Fujitaka had gone to work while Touya got bored and so left the place to go somewhere else, leaving the four friends on their own. They talked about certain things but Syaoran hardly said anything, not even able to figure out what he should say. Sakura didn't know him after all. She just met him a while ago... technically. Soon enough, it was already noon. Tomoyo had to get home to work on a project and Eriol wanted to help her therefore ending up bringing her home *again*. 

"Bye Sakura!" Tomoyo bid her best friend goodbye and closed the door behind them. 

"So, tell me more about yourself," Sakura uttered as soon as Tomoyo and Eriol had gone home. "You barely said anything for the past few hours." Sakura found herself blushing once again. She knew she was attracted to Syaoran. What's not to like about him? The Sakura before the accident occurred considered Syaoran as a jerk while the Sakura now thought he was very charming and likeable. 

Syaoran was attracted to Sakura and thoughts constantly surged into his mind that this was his second chance of giving Sakura a different impression of himself. He wanted her to love him and he most especially wanted to be the only person she needed to hold on to. Syaoran looked at Sakura who was staring at him for around a minute or so already. "Huh? What did you say again?" 

Sakura giggled and repeated herself. "I said, tell me more about yourself."

"You don't wanna know anything about me," Syaoran told her, refusing to reveal anything about him that might give her any bad ideas of what he was really like. 

"I do wanna know so just tell me. It won't hurt to tell something about who you are, would it?" Sakura said. 

"I'm 17 and I study in Tomoeda High along with Eriol and Tomoyo. Uhh... I'm in the same class as y--I mean, a girl that looks like you..." Syaoran started when he paused. 

"What's wrong? Why'd you stop all of a sudden?" Sakura asked him. "Is this about that girl you just mentioned?"

"No, really," Syaoran replied. 

"Then... tell me about her instead. Is she pretty? I bet she's hot, isn't she?" Sakura said, letting curiosity get the best of her. 

"You can say that," Syaoran answered. 

"Then maybe you can at least tell me her name," Sakura was being so insistent. 

"Her name? Uhh... well... sorry but... I can't tell you," Syaoran forced himself to lie. 

"Secrets are meant to be revealed," Sakura said. "I'll find out sooner or later. Count on that," she grinned. 

"Sure, whatever," Syaoran said. "Anyway, don't you think you should be getting some rest already?" Syaoran suggested with a reason for doing so. 

"Well, I don't really feel that tired yet," Sakura told him. 

"I insist that you get some sleep. You need it. Besides, your brother will kick my ass if you got over-fatigued," he said. 

"It's fine but you have to come back soon, alright?" Sakura asked of him. 

"I'll be a phone call away so don't hesitate to give me a call when you want to talk. My phone number is already listed in your cellphone," Syaoran assured Sakura. 

"Bye then," Sakura uttered as Syaoran helped her lie back on the mattress. Syaoran took a step back to the door and slowly slipped outside. With a sigh, he left the hospital and got home. He arrived home only to be nagged by Meilin once again. Recently, she has been continuously pestering him about Sakura. It was a good thing Syaoran had a pretty high sanity rate or Meilin would've driven him crazy already. 

"So, how was Sakura? You guys on?" Meilin teased him. 

Syaoran cocked an eyebrow and said, "Shut up. Don't even get started because I am so not in the mood to talk right now." 

"Woah, looks like Mr. Popular isn't in the mood for Meilin's jokes. What happened anyway?" Meilin got a bit more serious. 

"Listen, Sakura has amnesia, understand?" Syaoran's voice became a little shaky as though he was trying to hold back. 

"What?!" Meilin exclaimed in total wonder. 

"Damage to brain, loss of memory, you know, amnesia," Syaoran tried to ellaborate. 

"I know what amnesia is, Mr. smarty-pants," Meilin scoffed. "But... if that's so, then how... did you... I mean... doesn't it even feel just a little weird to you?" 

"I don't know. You know what? I'd rather be by myself right now coz I don't even want to talk about it," Syaoran retorted coldly. 

"That totally sucks, you know," Meilin remarked. 

"I'll be upstairs so call me once lunch is ready," Syaoran told her. 

"You sound lamer than usual. I don't even wanna bother you anymore," Meilin said as she turned her nose and walked away. 

"Whatever," Syaoran muttered to himself as he made his way to his room. When he got inside, he threw on some new clothes and leapt to his bed. He took the remote beside him and switched on the TV. He scanned the TV for something good to watch but eventually found that nothing was worth watching. What the hell is the use of a television if the channels don't even provide any decent shows?! Syaoran got annoyed so he turned the TV off then got himself busy with his discman. Suddenly, Syaoran's phone started ringing. He dug around his pocket for it and answered it. "Hello?" 

"So, how's your time with Sakura going?" It turns out that it was Eriol. 

"Just to let you know, I'm already at home soundtripping until you called," Syaoran retorted. "Quite bored, actually."

"You left?! Why'd you do that?" Eriol asked. 

"Because I wanted to. You have a problem about that?" Syaoran answered. 

"You left not just because of that, didn't you?" Eriol said. 

"What makes you say that?" Syaoran uttered. "I left coz I wanted to. Simple as that." 

"Syaoran, I know you better than this and I know how badly you lie as well. Spit it out. Why'd you leave?" Eriol asked again. 

"I told you, I left because I wanted to. Why are you being so difficult?" came Syaoran's reply. 

"That's just crap. You were uncomfortable with Sakura, weren't you?" Syaoran didn't respond at once, simply meaning Eriol had hit the jackpot. "It's not as if you don't know Sakura, man. She may seem like a whole new person but haven't you been thinking? It's your chance to make things work," Eriol continued. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Syaoran stammered. 

"You're as bad as a liar as you are at trying to hide the obvious. I noticed you've been staring at her differently for the past couple of days. You like her, don't you?" Eriol said. "Syaoran Li, the most popular guy in school has a thing for Sakura Kinomoto, the girl he used to hate so much. What a story this will be. Now all we need is a good ending."

"What are you trying to say?" Syaoran got curious. 

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so, will ya consider that as a cliffhanger? hmm... i think it is..somehow. well, anywayz, you guyz havta wait till the next chap is up. dunno when i'll post it though. as long as those reviewz keep coming, then i'll keep uploadin. general rule... hehe Ü. well then, you know wut to do... REVIEW!!!! i'll check it for sure... 


	15. Unstoppable Pondering

**note: ther wer people who didn't get tha subtitle for thiz chap. thatz why i decided to change it. i also retyped a few things so you can read thiz chapter again if ya like. 

damn, i really don't know wut to say right now so i'll skip the talkin, okay? enjoy the chappie!

Disclaimer: i.don't.own.ccs.do.ya.understand.english? lol.

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Unstoppable Pondering

"What I'm trying to say is that... don't act like the jerk you once were. And don't ever attempt to hurt her again," Eriol answered before finally ending the call. 

"What the...?" Syaoran stared at his cellphone for a short while before putting it back in his pocket. "It's not like I even have any intentions of hurting her feelings," he uttered to no one in particular. In a little while, some person started knocking on his door. Syaoran got up and unlocked the door to see who dared disrupt his private time. Syaoran opened the door and saw Meilin standing in front of him. "What do you want?" Syaoran asked with an attitude. 

"Oh forgive me, your royal nothingness. It's time for lunch," Meilin answered, exasperated and all. 

Syaoran rolled his eyes and went out from his room. He followed Meilin downstairs and had something to eat. While having lunch, he started thinking of Sakura once again. He wondered why he couldn't keep his thoughts away from her. Perhaps Eriol knew what he felt. Maybe that was the reason why he said that. 'Don't ever attempt to hurt her again,' Syaoran remembered him say. Syaoran took a bite from his plate but then more thoughts of Sakura just kept coming to him. What if... what if he and Sakura could actually be together? What if he did stand a chance to be with her? But the biggest question of all was if Syaoran was up to the challenge. 

He put the spoon in his mouth for one last bite of his meal before he stood up from the table. Syaoran wiped his mouth with a napkin and went on his way outside. He wanted to go somewhere. Anywhere as long as he can do some thinking. He got himself in his car and headed to the park. He never knew he'd ever turn to the park for some time on his own. It's just so... weird for him and yet.. it was just the right place. 

Syaoran arrived at the park and got off soon enough. He went to first bench he spotted and sat down. And again, he thought of Sakura. He missed the days he used to see her smile so cheerfully. She would still smile nowadays but it was somehow different than before. He just couldn't understand why he had just noticed Sakura now when she had been right there all those years. Syaoran shook his head in an effort to shake off his pointless thoughts along as well. "What the fuck am I even pondering about? This is my second shot at getting Sakura. Why do I have to think of other things?! Eriol's right..." Syaoran started talking to himself for some strange reason until someone finished his sentence for him. "She may seem like a whole new person..."

"...but she's not." Syaoran looked up and saw Tomoyo. He was supposed to ask her a "what are you doing here" question but unfortunately, she beat him to it. "I didn't expect you to be anywhere around this place. What are you doing here?" she asked. 

"Why? Is it so wrong for me to go here?" Syaoran sounded stubborn. 

"Do you mind answering the question first?" Tomoyo talked back. 

"I had to think about certain things ALONE, which apparently, is no longer possible," Syaoran retorted sarcastically. "My turn. What are YOU doing here?" 

"Thought I'd check out Sakura's favorite spot in the park," Tomoyo answered. 

"Huh?" Syaoran uttered, dumbfounded. 

"Has it ever occurred to you that what you're sitting on IS Sakura's favorite spot?" Tomoyo replied with a smirk. 

"What the heck are you talking about?" Syaoran said when he saw Tomoyo point up. He followed the direction of her finger and found out he was sitting below a cherry blossom tree. "It's a stupid coincidence. It just has to be," he whispered to himself. 

"What did you say?" Tomoyo asked. 

"Nevermind," was all Syaoran answered. 

"If you won't tell me then would you at least move over? I'd like to have a seat too, you know," Tomoyo told him as he slid to one side of the bench. Tomoyo took a seat beside him and started to giggle. Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her, not able to figure out what was so funny. "You're the one that's funny. You look so baffled and that's what makes you worth giggling about," Tomoyo uttered when she paused. This quickly caught Syaoran's attention. "Eriol told me he brought Sakura here on their first date. She loves this place and he knew it. It's a shame they didn't end up together," Tomoyo continued. 

"I may be wrong but... do you have feelings for my friend?" Syaoran had to ask. 

Tomoyo's head turned to him at once. "NO! I mean, I don't have feelings for him at all. He's just a friend to me," she responded. 

Syaoran grinned and thought, 'Guess I'm not the only one who sucks at hiding the obvious.' 

"By the way, have you ever thought of what you and Sakura are going to do once she gets out of the hospital?" Tomoyo changed the subject immediately as though purposely avoiding it from being brought up. 

Syaoran simply shrugged in reply. "I have no idea". 

"Oh come on. You're being so boring. Sakura doesn't like guys who are like that," Tomoyo said. 

"Well, the Sakura now is not the same as the one we knew from before," Syaoran told her. "God, I can't even think of what to say when I'm around her," he added. 

Tomoyo presented a smile and said, "You don't have to think about what you should say. Let your heart do the talking for you." 

When Syaoran heard this, he thought about it. He didn't expect what Tomoyo said to actually make any sense to him. "Why in the world are you telling me this?" Syaoran questioned her in curiosity. 

"I don't know," was what she answered with a smile. She stood up and started to walk away, leaving Syaoran to watch her from behind. 'I don't know. Maybe I'm just doing this for Eriol. Perhaps you are his link to making Sakura happy,' Tomoyo thought as she left the area. 'How I wished he did the same... for me...'

~*~

Sakura had just finished having lunch when she decided she'd have some sleep again. As she slowly got back down on her bed, something suddenly flashed in her head. A picture of some sort, it was. Sakura remembered something like it belonged to her. She started looking for something on the table beside her bed though she didn't know what it was to begin with. Sakura knew that item was something of importance. That's as far as she thought it was. 

Eventually, Sakura found a wallet lying there along with a bunch of other stuff. She opened it and as she stuck her fingers in and out through the pockets, Sakura found a picture... a picture of her and that guy with blue hair. 

"It's him. The guy with blue hair. It's the guy from a while ago. What was his name again?" Sakura uttered as she started to think. "I think it was... Eriol," she told herself. 'Why do I have a picture of him and me together?' Sakura thought. She could barely recall if she had even gone out with him. This made Sakura very curious. So many questions were burdening her. Many things suddenly felt like a mystery to her. And to think that this was HER. 

After three days of restless nights, Sakura was going home at last. She was excited to leave the hospital and finally be able to live life normally... well, almost. Sakura's injuries have almost healed due to intense medical care that was given to her in the hospital. Today seemed like one of the best days of Sakura's life. 

Sakura woke up from the sun's bright light that shone through the blinds covering the windows. She carefully lifted herself from bed as a nurse came in her room to help her get fixed for her departure. "Good morning, Kasumi," Sakura greeted her. 

"So you're awake. Good morning to you too," Kasumi greeted her back. "Well, you're finally going to leave this place. Aren't you just thrilled?" 

"Actually, yes. But I'm sure going to miss this place. I can still come here, right?" Sakura said. 

"Of course but just make sure you don't come here in the same way you did before. You might not be as lucky as you were next time," Kasumi told Sakura as she started to organize Sakura's things in her bag, neatly folding her clothes and placing her other belongings inside as well. 

"I swear I'm gonna be a lot more careful," Sakura tried to sound assuring. 

"You better be," Kasumi replied with a kind smile. She was halfway finished with packing Sakura's things. "Your father is downstairs paying the bill. He'll be here any minute so you better get ready," Kasumi added. 

Sakura took hold of her brush and started to brush her hair with ease. She made her hair into a braid and soon, her father came in the room, with Touya following from behind. "You ready, kaijuu?" Touya started teasing her once again. 

Sakura smiled and said, "Almost. My things are almost finished being packed in the bag that YOU'RE going to carry later." 

"What? You expect ME to carry YOUR bag for you?" Touya complained. 

"What's with the face? I can't carry my bag. Can't you see? I'm a helpless little girl," Sakura said as she started to giggle, seeing how annoyed her brother got. 

"Little, I agree. But, helpless? I hardly think so," Touya retorted. 

"What was that supposed to mean?" Sakura asked with a glare. 

"Which part of what I said can't you understand?" came Touya's reply, getting a glare from Sakura. They were giving each other the eye. The two siblings were at it again. 

Fujitaka couldn't help but slightly laugh at the sight he saw. 'Looks like things aren't going to be any different than before,' he thought to himself. 

Shortly, everything was set and Sakura and her family made their way home. 

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i know eriol's answer during the call (not the bsb song... no offense, but i hate that) sounded lame but can't blame me, can ya? i've been diggin my brain for something and for God's sake, i couldn't get anything good to pop out... anywayz.......... if ya have a much better idea.. juz tell me. i'd gladly consider it.. 

REVIEWZ::REVIEWZ::REVIEWZ::REVIEWZ::REVIEWZ::REVIEWZ::REVIEWZ::REVIEWZ::REVIEWZ::

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thank you very much!!! luv ya'll!!! 

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did the arrow work???


	16. Irresistible

**note: if ya didn't see the note in tha last chap... go back and see for yarself. itz wut i did bout the subtitle and othrr stuff. 

I'M LIKE SOOO SORRY FOR TAKING SOOO LONG TA UPDATE... SCHOOL ISSUES AND STUFF LIKE THAT... I HOPE I DIDN'T LOSE ANY OF MA PRECIOUS REVIEWERZ!!! 

this chap is kinda nice.. read it then tell me wut you think, k? first of all, THANKS to EVERYONE who gave reviewz. i'm really workin hard to make thic fic work out. so, enjoy! 

Disclaimer: do we really havta have THIS pathetic ridiculous thing?!

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Irresistible

Sakura got out of the car and let Touya aid her on her feet. She could walk but being in the hospital for quite some time made her legs unaccustomed to walking. But this wasn't much of a problem. Sakura was informed that in a few days of practice, she'd be able to walk on her own once again. Sakura had a sling on her arm and she was very uncomfortable with it. She once attempted to remove it but unfortunately, she was told not to do that again. With this, Sakura was still incapable of doing the things she normally did but she was very anxious to do those things once again. 

Touya helped his sister walk being extra careful with her. He didn't want to do something wrong and end up getting Sakura hurt. He didn't want to get himself killed after that. He put Sakura's free hand over his other shoulder to support her weight and slowly, he walked her to the front door. 

The place looked rather quiet to Sakura. As if no one cared that she was back home. Little did she know that waiting inside their house was something so unexpected. Sakura and Touya got inside and found the house was not lit at all. Sakura looked around and tried to see where everyone was. Suddenly, the lights turned on and...

"Surprise!!!" people said in chorus. Tomoyo was there. Eriol too. But one person was missing. Sakura smiled but deep inside, she felt really frustrated. Syaoran wasn't there. 

"Welcome home, miss," the maids told Sakura. "We're all glad that you're okay." 

"So am I," Sakura replied, showing a smile that stood as a mere disguise. "Why isn't he here?" she asked herself. Sakura took a seat by the table as everyone gathered around to greet her. Sakura still kept a lookout for Syaoran, hoping that he would come. 

Eriol noticed this and couldn't help but feel sorry for Sakura. He approached Tomoyo and asked, "Where the hell is Syaoran? I thought I told him to show up today." 

Tomoyo looked at him and felt a bit disappointed by how Eriol was acting. She just answered, "I don't know. Have you tried calling him? Maybe he forgot." 

"Maybe. I am SO gonna kill Syaoran when I see him," Eriol said before going away. 

Tomoyo sighed and watched as Eriol left her. "I can't believe it. You still love her..." 

The party went on for two hours but still, Syaoran didn't show up. Sakura managed to slip away from the crowd a short while to give Syaoran a call but he simply wouldn't pick it up. It was like all her anticipation was in vain. 

Later on, she was accompanied to her room where she was asked to get some rest. Eriol and Tomoyo went to her room to see how Sakura was doing. Apparently, not so well. Their guess was a good one. It's all because of Syaoran. Eriol thought it was better if Tomoyo talked to Sakura alone since having him around might make Sakura uneasy.

"Sakura, anything wrong?" Tomoyo asked. "Didn't you like our surprise for you?" 

Sakura got up and shook her head. With a smile, she replied, "I loved your surprise for me. I had a lot of fun. It's just that..." Sakura ceased to finish her sentence. "Nevermind. I guess I've been a bit paranoid about something." She didn't feel like it would be good to tell anyone what was on her mind. She didn't have the right to feel bad about Syaoran's absence. Perhaps he didn't come because he had a sudden appointment of some sort. Or perhaps he didn't feel like it. So many reasons and things just get even more confusing. 

"Are you sure there's nothing you want to speak to me about? I mean, you can tell me anything," Tomoyo uttered. "We're friends after all," she added sincerely. 

Sakura still couldn't find the will in her to tell Tomoyo. "It's really nothing. You don't have to worry." 

"If you say so," Tomoyo retorted. "You just get some rest and give me a call if you need anything. I'll be a phonecall away." 

These words echoed in Sakura's ears. 'I'll be a phone call away,' Syaoran once told her. "Okay, I'll remember that," Sakura uttered before Tomoyo exited from Sakura's room. Sakura looked at the cellphone sitting on top of her bedside table. She decided to give Syaoran a call one last time. If he wouldn't answer it, she would stop trying. Sakura took the cellphone in her hands and scanned the phonebook for his number. Soon enough, there it was. His name was in all caps, right under her nose. Sakura selected it at once. 

It took only a few rings before the person on the other line answered the call. 

Sakura swallowed hard and spoke up, "Syaoran? It's me, Sakura." 

"Sakura? Why did you call?" Syaoran asked her. "About the party... I... um..." he started to stammer. 

"Where were you a while ago?" Sakura forced it in. 

"Uhh... well... I had to deal with a bunch of school junk and some other stuff," Syaoran's voice sounded uncertain and doubtful. And since when does Syaoran Li worry about school? 

"Were you so busy to not even notice your phone was ringing? I kept calling you but you just kept ignoring me," Sakura told him. 

"I just had so much to do," Syaoran retorted. 

"I'd understand if you were so packed with school work that you couldn't come to the party but..." Sakura found it hard to continue. "You should've at least called to say you weren't coming. That way, I wouldn't have... I wouldn't have waited so eagerly for nothing." 

"I don't know what I should say right now." 

"So much for 'I'll be a phonecall away', huh?" Sakura uttered. 

"What do you want me to do then?" Syaoran asked. 

"Stop making promises if you're not even gonna do them!" Sakura snapped, not realizing what she just said. "I don't ever want to see you again, Syaoran Li." With that, Sakura closed the line to her phone. Teardrops started falling to her cheeks but she wiped them off in an effort not to cry. Instead, she tucked herself in bed and decided to take a nap. 

In the middle of her slumber, yet another dream came... the dreadful memory of the day of the accident. 

~*~

I remember it. As if it happened just yesterday... I don't understand why things are suddenly coming back to me. 

I knew I was driving at a safe speed limit. Something was really bothering me at that time but I can't really recall what it was. It just started to rain and suddenly, the road became slippery and it became difficult for me to keep the steering wheel steady. Then this crazy truck driver comes behind me and hits the back of the Porsche. The impact really got to me and I lost complete control of my car. It starts spinning, faster and faster until... the car slips off the road and turns over, crashing against a pole and finally comes to a stop. The car was totally smashed, but I was more worried if I was even going to live. I somehow managed to get out of the car. I knew I was bleeding like hell. The pain I experienced seared through me like a thousand needles. I couldn't bear it any longer and the last thing I heard was the sound of an ambulance, coming to take me to a hospital. I lay there and start praying for my life. I started to think that if I did die, I would be leaving so many people behind me; the people I loved and I cared for. "Am I gonna die today?" I ask myself but heard nothing and saw nothing in return. Finally, my body gave in to the pain and I lost consciousness. 

Subsequent to that, things started to get to a twist. 

The paramedics brought me to the hospital. I was lifted on the stretcher and brought to the emergency room in a flash. The doctors started to pick up their tools and started to get me to live. They put an oxygen mask on my face and quickly went to work. After hours of operation, I saw the looks on everyone's faces. They looked disappointed and guilty as I heard a long beep. It didn't stop. My life support systems were down. A nurse took the oxygen mask off my face. 'What's happening?! What are they doing?!' I tried to say. Slowly, the doctor took one last glance at my face as he slipped the blanket up and over me... I arose and saw my body lying on the operating table... motionless. I backed away from the corpse in front of me in disbelief. I... was dead...

~*~

Sakura awoke as she quickly sat up and started gasping for air. Abruptly, she felt someone's hands on her shoulders. "Sakura?" was the first thing she heard. 

She turned to see who it was and saw a pair of worried amber eyes staring into her own emerald ones. She started to calm down then in relief, she uttered, "It was just a nightmare." She looked at the person beside her as he put his hands back to himself. "What are you doing here?" she asked him rather coldly. 

"I... I thought I'd come by to visit," Syaoran answered, having a difficult time to explain. With that, a moment of silence ensued between the two. "About what you said a while ago... did you mean it?" he broke the silence. Sakura didn't want to look at him straight in the eye. "I just want to know if you really hate me now," Syaoran told her, seeming a bit depressed to some extent. 

"I don't know," came Sakura's answer and then paused for a short while. "I thought I did." A faint smile crept up to her lips soon enough. Those words lit up Syaoran's face. He gazed at Sakura and put his arms around her in a gentle embrace. At that very moment, Sakura knew she was already blushing. "I'm sorry about what I said. I was just kind of upset that you couldn't come and--" she started to apologize when Syaoran cut her off. 

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't even consider what you would think if I didn't come," Syaoran uttered as he let go of her. "I have something I'd like to ask of you and I would really prefer to cut to the chase..."

"What is it?" 

"Go out with me next Saturday," was Syaoran's response. 

"Huh? Next Saturday?" Sakura uttered in surprise. 

"Yeah, maybe that way, I can make it up to you for not coming today," Syaoran said. "Would you be all right with that?" 

Sakura smiled and for a moment there, Syaoran thought she was about to turn him down until she answered, "I think that would be really sweet of you. Sure, I'll go." 

"So, I'll be seeing you until then, right?" 

"You can bet your life on it," Sakura replied. 

Syaoran smirked and stood up. "Sorry again about not being able to come earlier today. I'll be going now and like I said before, I'll be just a phone call away. This time, I mean it," he told her as he went out the door. Sakura could almost feel herself melt right then and there.

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well, wut dya think??? did i improve even for a bit? anywayz, like always, plz DON'T forget to leave a REVIEW! very necessary when coming to visit me and mah fics! hehe! thanks! love ya all!!! lolz.......... 


	17. Torn

first of all, i'd like to apologize for keepin all those who are readin this fic! my schedule has been real tight so it's hard to keep up with other things, including this.. i will also have to say sorry that i can't inform you anymore when a new chap is up and ready. for some reason i'd rather not disclose, i just can't. i hope you guys understand! ü

oh aren't you happy syaoran is dating sakura now? if you read the subtitle, you'll see that it's TORN. PLZ don't get mad at me if wut happens won't be THAT good. hehe! i like putting some suspense in mah storiez but i don't like reading cliffies. that's all i'm gonna say right now. oh and btw, i HATE the number 17 (no offense to all those who like it). i was even thinking of skippin this chap but a friend told me not to coz that would confuse the readers. anywayz, here it is.. CHAP 17 AT LAST!!!

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Torn

Syaoran picked Sakura up that Saturday afternoon. She was wearing a pretty pink shirt and slimming white pants. For her feet, she had white platform sandals on. Syaoran was wearing dark blue long sleeves and loose black pants. He drove by in his Diablo [the car I miss all so much!] and helped Sakura be comfortable on her seat. 

"So, where are we off to?" Sakura asked, curious where Syaoran was taking her that evening. 

"I thought you'd like to have dinner with me at Ritz," Syaoran took a glance at the beauty settled on the passenger seat. "It's a good restaurant near the cinemas," he added and assumed that Sakura was alright with that. 

The car sped through the road and as they were about to make a turn to get to the Ritz, Syaoran turned the wheel the other way. "Syaoran? I thought the movies were that way," Sakura pointed out. 

"Yeah, I know. I just want to show you something first," Syaoran replied to her relief. His eyes were fixed on the road as they made their way to the park. Syaoran got off the car and opened Sakura's door for her. She stepped out and marveled at the first sight she caught. "Cherry blossoms are your favorite, right?" Syaoran uttered as he led her to the bench by the tree. "Do you like it?" Syaoran asked just to be sure. The glimmer in Sakura's emerald eyes told Syaoran she was happy about what he did for her. The two sat down for a moment. 

"Syaoran, how... how did you know I like cherry blossoms?" Sakura finally spoke up. 

"Wild guess," Syaoran grinned. 

"Yeah right," Sakura retorted in sarcasm. "That's a good one." She couldn't help but get the feeling of déja vu. It was as if the exact same thing already happened before. She just couldn't remember when it did. Sakura attempted to push these disturbances out of the way. She just wanted to enjoy her time now. 

For a little while longer, they just sat there and Syaoran couldn't help but stare at Sakura for the whole while. "You wanna go and eat now?" Syaoran asked her. 

"Give me a second," Sakura took in the scent of the cherry blossoms one last time before finally being ready to leave. The two got back in the car and headed to the Ritz to have dinner. Afterwards, when the night was over, Syaoran brought Sakura home. It had been a long evening for both of them and they had taken pleasure from it. Syaoran parked the car in front of Sakura's "house". "I really had a great time. Thanks, Li," Sakura gave him a smile of content. 

"I'm glad you did. Before you go..." Syaoran said as he pulled something out from his pocket and put it in front of Sakura. "I want you to have this." He opened the velvet covered box and inside was a silver necklace with a silver rounded rectangle pendant set vertically from the necklace itself. It had Sakura's named engraved on it. At both ends were small pink gems arranged in such a way that they looked like an array of cherry blossoms. 

"Syaoran, I... it's beautiful..." was all Sakura managed to say in surprise. Syaoran unhooked it and put it around Sakura's neck.

"Don't lose this, okay? So I'll always be with you no matter where you are," Syaoran told her. "I love you, Sakura..." 

With that, Sakura backed off. "Syaoran... it's too soon for you to say that to me," she replied. "I don't think you even know me that much." 

"Sakura, you have no idea how wrong you are," Syaoran uttered to her. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"Believe me when I say I love you," he told Sakura, the glint in his eyes hinting how serious he was. Sakura looked at Syaoran straight in the eye, feeling her heart beating faster by each passing minute. Just by staring at him, she felt so open and vulnerable. Syaoran realized he had never been that much in love with any girl who walked on Earth and the feeling was so unexplainable. 'I can't believe I just said that... to her,' he thought.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this..." Sakura stammered. That night, as Sakura lay asleep, a really unusual dream came to her.

~*~

"Syaoran? I thought the movies were that way," Sakura asked, seeing that they were going on the wrong direction. 

"Yeah, I know. I just want to show you something first," came Syaoran's answer. The road they took was familiar to Sakura and in an instant, she knew they were headed for the park. Sakura's guess was right and soon enough, they arrived there. They got off the car and Syaoran led the way to the cherry blossom tree. "Cherry blossoms are your favorite, right?" Syaoran spoke up as Sakura gazed at beautiful pink flowers above her head. "Do you like it?" Syaoran asked. Sakura didn't need to say anything. She knew Syaoran was already certain of her response. 

The two sat there on the bench side by side and Sakura didn't mind it at all. Everything was just so peaceful and Sakura felt so pleased with how she felt at that very moment. She turned to Syaoran and asked him, "How... how did you know I like cherry blossoms?" 

"Wild guess," Syaoran replied with a smirk. Things were going exactly as they happened earlier... well, almost. Sakura closed her eyes and suddenly saw the image of some other guy with her as they ran through the park. They eventually got to the place he was leading her to. The same cherry blossom tree Syaoran brought Sakura to that evening. 

"I wanted to show you this. I figured you'd like it," the guy told her as she immediately recognized who he was. 

"Eriol, it's so beautiful," she uttered. "I like it. I like it a whole lot," Sakura turned to him and gave him a smile. He wrapped his arms around her and she whispered her thanks to him. 

"I know," he said. Both of them decided to walk around the park before returning to the spot of the cherry blossom tree. Eriol voluntarily lent his jacket to Sakura soon after. The look on Sakura's face was nearly the same as how she looked like when she was with Syaoran in the beginning of her dream. She turned to Eriol who suddenly began to turn pink. Sakura couldn't help but smile. 

"Sakura," he started. 

Sakura looked a bit anxious. "Y-yes?" came her voice. 

"I have to say something to you," Eriol told her. Whatever he said affected Sakura in a sense that she turned a bit pale. It was almost as though she couldn't believe what Eriol had to say. "Never mind. I know it's stupid. It just sort of slipped off," Eriol attempted to change the subject. Eriol was stalling. 

"Uh... um..." Sakura didn't know what to say. Eriol looked away for some reason. "Eriol," she started as unexpectedly, she smiled. She said, "I think I love you too." And before they knew it, they were already in a kiss. 

Sakura's dream shifted back to her time with Syaoran. She looked at him and admired his loving amber eyes. Suddenly, he turned to her and blushed. And then, his face turned into that of Eriol's. Sakura couldn't believe what was happening. Why was she witnessing things regarding Eriol and her TOGETHER? 

~*~

With that, Sakura woke up and the first thing that escaped her mouth was, "Oh my god." She quickly searched for her wallet and once she found it, she took out the picture she found in there before. Her picture with Eriol. Sakura shook her head in disbelief. Strange things were happening and Sakura couldn't find anything in her mind to explain them all. Her head was getting congested with questions that definitely needed some answers as soon as possible. Just when Sakura couldn't take it anymore, her head started to hurt like hell. "Why the heck is this happening?!" she yelled as she fell on the floor and tried to keep herself under control. She put her hands on her head. "It hurts! I can't take this anymore!" Sakura screamed out in pain before finally falling unconscious. 

The next day, Sakura woke up and the throbbing pain in her head was there no more. She was lying on her bed when she heard her father's voice from right outside her room. He was talking to some other person when Sakura decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. 

"There's absolutely nothing to worry about, Mr. Kinomoto. Luckily, what happened to Sakura isn't that severe at all. She was just under some stress. But by chance, is Ms. Kinomoto being troubled by something these days? It's also a possible reason for her sudden breakdown," the other man asked. 

"I'm not so sure. I'll check into it once she wakes up," Sakura's father replied. 

"Very well, I'll be on my way. You may call me anytime if there's any problem with your daughter," the man said as Sakura heard him walk away. 

Fujitaka entered her room and found her awake. "How are you feeling?" he said. 

"Better than I expected," she answered as she recalled what had occurred. 

"Can you tell me what happened before you fainted? Were you tired or anything like that?" Fujitaka asked. 

"No, not really. I just woke up after having a bad dream, I think. Something's really bothering me and I guess I couldn't handle the pressure then..." Sakura was frantic. 

"Slow down, honey. It's okay. Whatever it was, it didn't do you any good and I don't want you to get hurt, understand?" Fujitaka told her. "Don't forget that you're still recovering from the accident." 

"Yes, dad. I'll try to keep that in mind next time," Sakura tried to assure him. 

Fujitaka embraced Sakura before heading out the door. "You take care, alright?" he said and Sakura just nodded in reply. 

Sakura heaved a sigh as she remembered everything. She recalled her dream and what she saw in it. You know, the Syaoran changing into Eriol thing was just so crazy. It's almost as though she actually had something for the guy. Eriol, that is. 'No! Sakura, what are you thinking?!' Sakura scolded herself. 'I can't have feelings for him... can I?'

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blue-angel45: wahahahaha!!! sakura is having second thoughts bout her feelings!!!

s+s fans: *points* there she is!!! she's the one who's making the fic e+s!!! CHARGE!!!!!!!

blue-angel45: wut the?! *puts hands up in defense* i never said it was e+s!

s+s fan #1: but you never said it was s+s either! 

blue-angel45: *sweatdrops* uhh... good point. well... *slowly backs away* 

s+s fans: GET HER!!!! then tie her up and don't release her until she says she'll make it s+s!!!

blue-angel45: *shaky voice* maybe we can work something out here, eh? *receives glares from the s+s fans* perhaps not. okaaaay... BYEEE!!!! *runs off as the s+s fans run after her in a frenzy* HEEEEELLLPPPP!!!!!!!!! *hides* could-you-giv-me-a-review-b4-they-find-me??? *looks behind her and finds "them" there* uh-oh... WAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!! 


	18. The Agony of Letting Go

blue-angel45: phew! i somehow managed to get away from those angry people. i thought they were going to kill me! *sighs in relief* i gotta find a good hiding place where they'll never find me coz after they read this chap.....

s+s fans: look! it's her!!!

blue-angel45: WHAAAT?!?! how the hell did they find me?! gotta go! bye!!! *runs away AGAIN* 

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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

The Agony of Letting Go

It has been a couple of days prior to the day Eriol learned that Syaoran and Sakura were dating one another. He hasn't heard about their progress ever since but once in a while, he'd join the two. 

That day, Eriol somehow got himself drunk one evening and eventually found himself unable to get home by himself. It was raining and it was much too difficult to go home in such a bad downpour. He figured he'd head over to the nearest place he could get to in his condition. He struggled to get there as he rang the doorbell and someone opened it. 

"Eriol! What have you been doing? You're soaking wet!" Tomoyo said in shock. She helped Eriol inside to get him to one of their guestrooms. She brought some towels and a warm blanket as she asked some help from their maids to get Eriol on a comfortable bed. 

As Tomoyo tried to dry him up with a towel, Eriol suddenly muttered, "Sakura." Tomoyo tried to keep herself from being affected by this. She just continued with what she was doing without saying a word. Soon enough, he gradually got rid of some of the effects the alcohol had on him. "Thanks for letting me in despite how late it is," Eriol spoke up. 

Tomoyo shook her head. "You don't have to thank me. That's what 'friends' are for," she told him with a smile. 

"You know what? I didn't notice it before but you and Sakura are quite the same," Eriol said. 

"You're kidding, right? Sakura and I were best friends but we were different. She liked sports while I liked music. She liked arts while I liked math," Tomoyo stated her point. 

"I didn't mean you were the same in those instances. You were the same in a sense that both of you were friendly.. and pretty," Eriol tried to explain. He looked at Tomoyo and added, "You've always been so kind to me."

Tomoyo stood up and said, "Wait here. I'll just get more towels." 

As she started towards the door, Eriol grabbed hold of her wrist. "Please. Don't leave. I want you here with me right now. I need you more than you'll ever know," he retorted. 

Tomoyo blushed upon hearing this. She smiled then asked, "Do you know why I'm doing this?" Eriol shook his head. "It's because I feel the same way about you." 

~*~

Syaoran and Sakura were in the mall, enjoying some iced coffee. Sakura seemed rather inattentive for a moment there and Syaoran couldn't help but notice this. "Do you have a problem or something?" he just had to ask. Sakura turned to him with an anxious look in her eyes. "You can tell me anything," Syaoran told her. 

"Syaoran, I'm so sorry," Sakura uttered as tears started to build up in her eyes. "I... I can't go out with you anymore. You have no idea how difficult this is for me," Sakura started to explain before Syaoran said anything. "I'm afraid I'm in love with someone else," she said at last. 

"Wha-- I don't understand," Syaoran replied, confused about what was happening right then and there. 

"I don't know how but these feelings just arose from me and I can't explain it at all," Sakura was just about to cry. She felt really bad about what she was doing to Syaoran. "I know I'm stupid. I'm a god damn moron but no matter what I do, I can't help but feel this way. I think I'm in love with Eriol. I'm really sorry!" Sakura cried as she took off the necklace Syaoran gave her and went away. Syaoran watched as she left him behind then looked at the silver necklace lying on the table. He banged his fist against the table as he clutched the necklace and went away as well. 

~*~

Sakura took a cab to Tomoyo's house. When she got there, she hurried to the front door and rang the doorbell. The butler opened it. "Ms. Kinomoto. So pleasant to see you," he greeted her. Sakura told him she wanted to see Tomoyo as soon as possible. With that, the butler let her inside. "Ms. Daidouji is in one of the guest rooms upstairs. I'll ask one of the maids to lead you there," he said and Sakura just consented to this. 

She was led to the room the butler had mentioned earlier. She knocked first and Tomoyo came out. "Sakura? What are you doing here?" she seemed intrigued. Sakura immediately threw herself in Tomoyo's arms and started to cry. "Why are you crying?" Tomoyo asked Sakura. 

"I broke up with Syaoran. Tomoyo, I don't know what to do anymore!" Sakura replied. 

"Why did you do that?" Tomoyo wondered. All this time, she thought things were going great between Syaoran and Sakura.

"Why did you do what?" came a guy's voice from the room. Then Eriol emerged from the room while he was wiping his face with a towel that hung from his neck. 

Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "Wh-aat... what is he doing here?" her voice a bit shaky. 

"He went here last night and he couldn't get home by himself so I let him stay over," Tomoyo explained. "But I still don't get it. Why did you break up with Li? And why are you so paranoid that Eriol is here?" Eriol was just looking at Sakura without saying anything. And Sakura was just doing the same to him. "Ok-aay... I guess you guys would like to be alone so... call me when you need anything. I'll be in my room," Tomoyo said as she went away. 

"Let's talk inside if that would make you more comfortable," Eriol suggested as he and Sakura got in the room. "So, what were you telling Tomoyo just before I well... interrupted?" Sakura was quiet as she looked down on the floor. "Sakura... last night, I was drunk and I completely didn't know what was going on. I know this sounds stupid but.. all that happened technically because of you," Eriol told her. 

Sakura looked at him, their eyes fastened on each other. "I... I... broke up with Syaoran because I... realized that I had other feelings for you. I didn't want to hurt Syaoran so I had to tell him the truth. I feel so bad. I don't know if I did the right thing," Sakura briefly narrated everything. "I can't explain it at all. Before I knew it, I started to love you but..." 

Eriol embraced her and rubbed his hand on her back as an act of comfort. "Please don't cry. I hate it when I see you this way," he whispered in her ear. 'You make me remember the last time I saw you like this,' he thought. "Nevermind what's bothering you. I love you and that's what matters to me," Eriol uttered. And for a little while longer, Sakura stayed then eventually left for home. 

When Eriol got back to his room, he heard something break. The sound was coming from right outside the room. Eriol was alarmed by this so he quickly went to see what caused this. It was Tomoyo. She started to pick up the pieces of shattered glass on the floor. Eriol noticed the tears in her eyes but said nothing. To begin with, he didn't know what was wrong. 

Tomoyo stood up straight and wiped her eyes. She forced a smile to come in but to no avail. Eventually, she started to become red, not because she was blushing, but because she was upset. "So, I'm just a friggin rebound, eh?" Tomoyo said, her eyes on Eriol. He had NEVER heard Tomoyo talk like that. Not even once before. 

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion. 

"Don't play dumb with me, Eriol. I'm not that heartless. Nor am I that stupid! I have feelings too, you know," Tomoyo told him. 

"I never did anything," Eriol stated in defense. 

"That's the entire thing! While you're doing EVERYTHING for Sakura, you don't get to notice the other people who care for you," Tomoyo showed her point. "And you let those 'other' people believe you like them but the fact is you don't even care one bit!"

"That's not true," Eriol said.

"Don't lie to me," Tomoyo uttered with a pained expression on her face. "Just leave. Please." 

"Tomoyo--" Eriol tried to go on but...

"Just go!" Tomoyo exclaimed before running off in tears. Eriol had no choice but to leave, not wanting to make the situation any worse. 

~*~

A few days passed and Syaoran could hardly keep up with himself. The only girl he ever loved had dumped him and he couldn't take the feeling of rejection. It was completely driving him insane to simply imagine Sakura with some other guy. And to think that "other guy" was his best friend. Did the best man already win? Syaoran thought about this each and every day. He loves Sakura too much and if it meant losing her to the person she was happy with, he would let her go as freely as she wished. After all, leaving the person you love is hard... but in this case, letting go is much harder. But Syaoran didn't want to give her up without a good fight. She was too precious to lose. 

Syaoran was at home staring at Sakura's necklace in front of him. Her name kept ringing in his mind. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her. 'Did you really make your final choice? No matter what you want to do, I'll always be loving you till the end, Sakura...' Syaoran thought as a couple of knocks on the door interrupted him. "Not hungry so go away," he instantly said.

"Put a sock in it, bonehead. I'm not your servant, you know," Meilin talked back. 

Syaoran groaned as he got up and opened the door. Meilin stepped in and made herself comfortable on his bed. "What is it this time?" Syaoran asked a bit calmly for once as he closed the door. 

"What's up with you? You look like some dead guy, if you know what I mean," Meilin told him. 

"Is that it? You came here just to tell me that? I am SO gonna kick your little ass outta here," Syaoran said. 

"Ugh! Excuse me for being a critic. And by the way, my ass is just fine," Meilin retorted. "Look pal, it's hard enough for me to practically live with someone like you and now you have to get hurt because of ONE girl and you just had to get me affected, didn't ya? You know what's wrong with you? You can't even take things easy once in a while. That's what makes you so boring, man!" 

"Is that it? Did Sakura leave me coz I'm boring?" Syaoran uttered supposedly to himself. He was getting really paranoid. 

"No, you moron! Don't you even have a brain underneath all that unruly hair?" Meilin mocked Syaoran, getting a glare immediately. She rolled her eyes and said, "Sakura's old feelings are coming back and unless you have anything to do about it, she's never gonna love you again. Ever." Suddenly, Syaoran paid close attention to what Meilin was telling him. "Would you really prefer that Sakura turns to Eriol and not YOU?" Meilin asked. 

"What do you think?" 

"Are you THAT helpless? I told you before that I know you too well. But I guess I was wrong," Meilin said. 

"Shut up," Syaoran retorted. 

Then show me what the real Syaoran Li is like," Meilin told him. "I mean, the one who doesn't give up that easily."

"I don't wanna screw anything up," Syaoran kept looking on the negative side. 

"The Syaoran I know insists on getting everything he lays his sight on," Meilin reminded him and grinned. "Besides, what have you got to lose? You've lost it already but do you really want to lose it again?"

Syaoran set the necklace aside as he decided to go out. 

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blue-angel45: did ya actually think that wuz the ending??! no way! but there's a few more chaps to go! remember to check it out!!! *looks around* this garbage can is a good place to hide... *garbage can lid opens and s+s fans look down at her* *raises eyebrow* then again maybe not. don't forget to review!!! *starts praying* oh please oh please oh please...


	19. Eriol's Big Decision

yes, i know it took me FOREVER, and i mean FOREVER to update this fic.. so sue me.. no wait.. i'm broke! 

man, this story business is tough. i can't believe i got this far for this story. i kept losing interest and i was really thinking that i should probably just stop. but then again, wut wuz all this for? i know know. i owe you guys a lot for the motivation. damn, i'm going senti. anywayz, i purposely made this fic like this so you won't know who sakura would end up wit. well, not until the last few chapterz, that is. so, start readin. i'll be workin on my last chapz now...

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CHAPTER NINETEEN

Eriol's Big Decision

"Hey, it's about time you get out of bed. It's ten o'clock in the morning and it's Monday. Your tutor will get here in two hours," Touya told Sakura, pulling the covers off her. 

"What's the big idea?" Sakura whined as she got up and hit him hard with a pillow. "I know how a calendar works. And according to it, it's only Sunday!" 

Touya grinned. "At least I made you wake up," he said. Sakura rolled her eyes and snuggled back in bed, trying not to mind the cold. "-coz if I didn't, the guy downstairs would be waiting for you even longer," Touya added. This quickly got to Sakura. 

"What?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Sakura complained, immediately going on her feet. "Who is it again?" she asked. 

"I'll give you a clue. Blue hair and wings," Touya replied. The humor just washed out. 

"Blue bird. Ha ha ha," Sakura scoffed before she scurried off to the bathroom. Things were just going so fast for Sakura. She was with Syaoran a couple of days ago and the next thing she knew was that she was with Eriol. Sakura tried to keep her emotions under control. She was being one hell of a fickle idiot and she knew it. The bad thing was that she has been hurting people before she even noticed it. 'It's not fair for them but what am I supposed to do? Deny my feelings and hurt them in the end? It's not like I have a choice to begin with...' she recently kept telling herself. But somehow, it was as if she DID have a choice. One, which was for the better of everything and everyone who was involved from the beginning of this unusual love triangle. 

Sakura took a shower and threw on some clothes. She was in such a hurry that she didn't even bother to tie her hair. She took a bag with her then rushed to get downstairs. Eriol was in the living room waiting for her, having a conversation with someone over the phone. "Can you at least talk to me?" he said. When he saw Sakura, he abruptly put the phone aside. 

This made Sakura wonder who it was and she just had to ask, "Who were you talking to?" 

"Um... that was just a friend. But nevermind that," Eriol reluctantly replied, obviously trying to get away from the subject. 

"Oh. Anyway, sorry I took quite long. The date totally slipped off my mind and I sort of overslept," Sakura explained. 

"That's okay. I really don't mind it at all. So, ready to go out?" Eriol asked her. Sakura just nodded in consent. 

The two of them went to the park to have a stroll. And afterwards, they were going to have a nice picnic. It was the perfect day after all. Unbeknownst to them, they were about to see someone else there. Someone who they never expected to show up in such a place. Eriol and Sakura arrived at the park and with Eriol's arm over Sakura's shoulder, walked around for a while. Sakura noticed that Eriol was somehow preoccupied but she tried to ignore it for now. She thought that was the best thing to do at the moment. But for some strange reason, Eriol was rather quiet. 

Soon, they had enough with all the pacing they did. They got back to the car and got the picnic basket they brought along with them. Eriol laid a sheet over the grass as both of them settled there under the shade of a big tree. Sakura took out the "goodies": a few pre-cut sandwiches, a jug filled with juice, and other kinds of food. As Sakura and Eriol started with their meal, a certain guy passed them by. The guy stopped and looked at Sakura. "Kinomoto?" he said. Eriol was practically glaring at him. 

Sakura found him very familiar. She just couldn't figure it out. And the name "Kagami" suddenly popped in her mind. "I may be wrong but are you... Jin?" she asked out of nowhere. 

The guy scratched his head and seemed baffled to some extent. "Uhh... duh? Are you sick or did you hit your head somewhere?" he retorted when something crossed his mind. "Oh yeah... you were in that accident," he said. "Well that's good. At least you don't recall what happened anymore," he muttered. 

"What did you say?" Sakura asked out of curiosity. She heard him but she just wanted to know if she heard him right. 

"Nothing," Jin said in defense. "It was nothing," he repeated. But Sakura was kind of sure with what she thought he said. 

"Sakura, Jin is just playing around. So maybe it would be better if HE left US alone and mind his own business for once!" Eriol's tone of voice suggested he was angry. Sakura wondered why he was so upset. What did Jin ever do to him anyway? 

"Chill, man. I didn't even do anything to you," Jin told Eriol. 

Eriol promptly stood up and said, "Oh yeah?! Then what about what you did to Sakura?!" 

"Woah... You knew all along. Then why don't you remind your precious girlfriend what happened so she'll leave you.. AGAIN!" Jin fought back with words. The two nearly engaged in a quick fist-fight. 

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up and get out of here!" Eriol exclaimed at Jin's face. 

"Damn right I would. Who would even wanna hang out with a guy like you?" Jin looked pissed as he went away. 

Eriol sat back down and went back to his normal calm self. Then Sakura got really intrigued. "What did Jin want you to remind me?" she asked all of a sudden. 

"Sakura, don't mind what that jerk said. He's just a good for nothing asshole with a head exploding with hot gas," Eriol replied. 

"Eriol, please tell me the truth. And how come I don't remember a thing about what you two were arguing about? Something's wrong. I just know it so could you please just tell me?" Sakura wanted an answer to her questions. She wanted explanations and she wanted them at that very moment. Eriol couldn't find the right words to say. He never got to say anything. "I'd like to go home now. Please," Sakura told him as she started to put everything back in the basket. 'If Eriol won't tell me what's wrong, then I'd just have to find out by myself," she thought. Eriol couldn't do anything about what Sakura wanted to do. 

Sakura asked to be dropped off over at her place. She climbed off Eriol's vehicle and started towards the front door. "I'll call you later, all right?" Eriol said before she got inside the house. Sakura placed the basket in the kitchen then headed for her room. She walked to the mini-library in her bedroom. Stuck in between two other books was this really big and thick book that immediately caught Sakura's attention. She pulled it out and got settled on her bed. Slowly, she started to scan the pages one by one and soon learned that she was looking through the pages of a yearbook. She found Eriol's individual picture. Then she saw Tomoyo's. And as she went on, she finally landed on the page of Syaoran's picture. The person beside him made Sakura stare in awe. 

"What the heck?!" she uttered in shock and disbelief. "What is MY picture doing here?" she asked herself. It baffled her to a point that it became very disturbing. Sakura looked at the yearbook closely and she found out that it was REALLY she. 'But how can that happen? I've been tutored all my life, right? How can my picture be in a school yearbook?' she thought. The more she discovered, the more questions filled her head. For the first time ever, her own life became a mystery to her. 'I must get Eriol to explain everything to me. I feel there is something I do not know about myself while others do. They're obviously hiding something from me but what does Jin have to do with it?'

~*~

Syaoran had just eaten lunch when he thought about Sakura once again. He shook her image away as he just continued watching television in his room. He glanced at the necklace lying on top of the table beside him. Syaoran felt the sudden urge to hear Sakura's voice, even for just a short while. 'Why am I acting like such a fool? Sakura's with Eriol now and she's happy with him. I don't want to make things more difficult for her,' he told himself. But even still, he got the wireless phone in hand and started to dial her number. 'What the hell! I don't care. I just have to know that she's all right," Syaoran's actions were obviously contrary to his thoughts. 

The phone rang... and rang... and rang... until finally, someone picked it up. "Hello?" the sweet voice muttered against the speaker. "Hello?" the person repeated. "Who is this?" again it spoke. Syaoran soon realized what he was doing and quickly turned the wireless off. He heaved a sigh to himself as he said, "I can't do it. I can't believe myself. I'm depressed because of one girl. Just ONE." Syaoran put the phone down as he ran his fingers through his hair. "What the heck is up with me and all this love crap?" 

~*~

Eriol was slowly being eaten up by his god damn guilt. Both for Sakura and Tomoyo. But he didn't really know which one was the bigger problem. Was it the fact that Tomoyo hates him? Or was it because he failed to tell Sakura the truth? He had never really faced such a situation in his life. He was stuck in between two things. Whatever he would do next shouldn't be for his sake alone. He didn't want to be selfish... but he could not help but be just that.

He picked up his cellphone and started pressing the buttons as he eventually ended up with a message. He reread it over and over, deleted a couple of things, then replaced them. Eriol thought if he was going to do this, he had better do it right. He started to think of the appropriate words to text in. He found it really difficult to satisfy him with what he put. "This is never going to be done with!" he yelled in frustration. He erased everything he typed in and wrote it all over again. And this time, he was able to send it. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

is that considered as a cliffy? yea, i know... don't havta tell me... sakura is an idiot!!! (oops!) well, she is, considering that she goes back and forth from eriol to syaoran and back to eriol. ey, first i'd like to thank "@!#x'Z d3åtH Hic" for the great ideas she gave. oh and the idea of sakura going back to eriol was hers so to all the s+s fans, go after her and not me, okie? b4 i forget, -=REVIEWZ=- are STILL wanted. 


	20. What's meant to Be

i know i know.. it took me long enough to update.. anywayz, im not gonna spoil anythang for you readers, ayt?? hehehehehe... wahahahahaha!!ü you will suffer!! nah joke... 

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CHAPTER TWENTY

What's meant to Be

"That was odd," Sakura wondered who had called her as she put the phone to one side and got down for dinner. "Dad, can I ask you something?" Sakura asked as they ate. 

"Anything," Fujitaka told Sakura. 

"It's about me," she started as she put down her utensils to speak. Touya sensed this was serious as he just listened without saying anything. "Dad, on the day of the accident... exactly WHAT happened?" she continued and this left Fujiataka searching his head for something to answer. 

"You were in a car accident. Your car sped through the road and it hit a cement pole, remember?" he replied. 

Sakura shook her head. "No, I don't. I don't remember at all," she retorted. 

"Well, that's practically very normal. Most of the people who are involved in car accidents don't recall what happened to them either," Fujitaka explained with the best he could. "I think--" 

"That's not what I meant," Sakura cut him off as tears started to make their way in her eyes. "I don't remember the accident. I don't remember my friends. I don't remember going to a school. I don't remember anything at all!" her voice got louder. Fujitaka was surprised by his daughter's reaction as he stopped eating. 

"Sakura, calm down," Touya spoke up, noticing that Sakura was going out of control. 

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down! Nobody wants to tell me anything! Even Eriol keeps his mouth shut. Strange dreams keep haunting me at night, I meet people who know me while I don't know them, I learn about things that concern me but I hardly recall anything!" Sakura exclaimed as she pushed her plate to the floor. "Why are you guys hiding things from me?!" she yelled as she quickly headed outside in tears. Touya followed her only to find that he was too late. Sakura had gone off with her car. 

Sakura drove without paying attention to where she was going. Her eyes still on the road just to be safe, she was thinking about the things she said. All that came out randomly and unintentionally. She just had to release her anger. Sakura put her hand on her forehead. It was starting to ache again and she knew it wouldn't be a good idea to keep driving. She pulled over and she found herself in front of a sign that said "Cinemas: 2 kilometers away". Sakura dug her thoughts into it and recalled a time when she watched a movie with Eriol. 'Wait a second there. I never went to see a movie with Eriol,' she told herself. She shook her head, saying that it all must have been her imagination and nothing else. 

Sakura climbed back in the car and started the car. Before she noticed it, she was passing by a school. She stopped the car by the front gate and stepped out. Many things about this place were quite familiar, almost well known to Sakura. She went to the gate and examined the building beyond it. A vision suddenly came to her.

~*~

"No! What you saw isn't true!" Sakura insisted. They were right next to the school entrance. 

"Yeah, it wasn't what you intended! You just wanted to make me believe you actually loved me back!" Eriol told her, appearing very upset. "Syaoran was right from the beginning! You're not worth anything at all!" 

Sakura started to cry. "Eriol! Believe me! This is all a misunderstanding!" was all she could say. 

"Damn right! It was all a misunderstanding or even worse, it was all a big stupid mistake that I even had feelings for... for a whore like you!" After Eriol said all that had to be said, he left. He left the school and left Sakura. 

~*~

Sakura opened her eyes in shock. Just then, some person with a flashlight showed up and Sakura was forced to leave the school grounds. She continued on the road thinking, 'Is it possible that I used to study in this school? It explains why my picture was in the yearbook. But why would Eriol say such things to me? It seems that Syaoran was also involved.' 

She kept thinking about what could've happened. She tried to fill in some details. Sakura knew she was getting close to putting the pieces of this puzzle together. "Eriol and I were dating before then... he leaves me. But why?" Sakura uttered. She remembered her dream before; the one when Eriol and her were together in the park. "I asked Eriol where we were going next. We arrived at the park and I followed him to a cherry blossom tree. We sat by the bench and then..." Sakura was on the right track but she couldn't take it anymore. She kept racking her mind for her memories but they just wouldn't appear. Sakura decided to go back home. Some sleep was probably the best thing she could think of at that moment. 

~*~

The next day, Sakura awoke since her cellphone started beeping. She took it and read the message. Eriol wanted to meet her in school at dismissal. She feared the most that could happen. She got off her bed and took a bath before going down to have breakfast. 

Mostly everything that she assumed the last evening was still in her head. She still had so many things to figure out. She was awfully quiet at the table. That afternoon, right after Sakura's tutorials, she had texted Eriol to tell him she was already on her way. She arrived a little past 5 o'clock. 

"Sakura!" Eriol called out to her. "I'm glad you came," he said when he got to her. 

She furrowed her eyebrows in doubt. "What was it you wanted to see me about?" Sakura asked, feeling her heart beating hard against her chest. She hated feeling so anxious. Because whenever she did, it almost seemed as though something bad would happen. 

Eriol took her hands in his and replied, "Sakura, we need to talk." He looked around and added, "But we can't do it here. There are too many people. Do you know a place we can go to?" Sakura started to think. Since when did they need that much privacy? She ignored all her negative thoughts as she suggested a place. Eriol agreed without question. And in no time, they were there. The two decided to stay in the car. They were at a driveway by the park. "Sakura," Eriol started. 

"What is it?" she asked Eriol. She remembered what happened the other day. Eriol seemed to have something in mind while he was with Sakura. She also recalled how Eriol acted when Jin came. Could all these be related?

"We have to end this now," Eriol told her. Sakura allowed him to explain and so didn't say anything to stop him. Eriol added, "I know we've only been together for just a week or so but I can't stand the thought of lying to you. I thought I really loved you from the time I realized my feelings since some time ago--" 

"Before I was in that accident," Sakura interrupted. The emphasis on "before" caught Eriol by surprise. "I don't have an idea of what happened to me when I got myself in that accident. No one wanted to tell me anything but somehow, I guess I've been regaining things little by little. You and I were together before, weren't we?" Sakura said. 

Eriol hesitated at first. "Yes," he eventually answered. Sakura closed her eyes and tried to recall more. 

~*~

"So, Sakura, how are you going along with Syaoran?" Eriol asked. 

"Um... I tried to talk but it didn't really bring me any good. I think Syaoran isn't really in the mood to be friends with me right now," Sakura answered as she ate her ice cream. 

"Oh, Syaoran's just like that at times. Cut the poor guy some slack. He may be stiff when he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed. You did say you called him so early in the morning. I've known Syaoran long enough to figure he'd still be sleeping by then. But if you want, I'll try talking to him some time," Eriol said. 

"Syaoran is stiff, right you are. But, poor? I don't think so. Besides, it's really not much of a big deal now. He can be nice to me when the time comes but I won't force him if he doesn't want to. I'm not that desperate," she replied. 

"Alright then. Syaoran will understand. If he doesn't, I'll just have to let him be until he does. I'm sure he'll get over it," Eriol retorted and Sakura smiled upon hearing this. 

"Thanks," she uttered. 

~*~

More of these kind of memories rushed into Sakura's mind. She took a deep breath then looked at Eriol straight in the eye. "You got mad at me, thinking that I turned my back on you by kissing some other guy. That's where Jin comes in the picture. And then... you wanted to get back with me with Tomoyo's help but I didn't want you back," Sakura continued. 

Eriol gave up. He didn't want to hide anything from Sakura anymore. She was finding things out for herself and he no longer had reason to keep them. "Syaoran wasn't pleased with the fact I liked you. You and Syaoran have always been the worst of enemies while me and him were the best of friends. That's why he was against our being happy together. Eventually, he started liking you as well. Then you were involved in a car accident without warning," Eriol narrated things one by one. "You don't know how worried Syaoran was about you. He went to the hospital more often than any of us did. Soon, I realized how much he cared about you and I knew he'd be the first one to ask you out once you woke up." 

Sakura was at a loss of words. She felt the need to hear more from Eriol. 

"When you awoke, he came at once only to find out that you had amnesia," Eriol finally told Sakura. The word "amnesia" rang in her head. So this WAS the reason... the reason why she could not remember anything at all. Upon hearing this, she let Eriol continue. "He thought that maybe it was his chance to let you return his feelings. You started dating him but then I couldn't take it. All this time, I thought he would never try to take you from me but he did so I had to let him just so you'll be happy." Sakura held her tears back. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "While you were together with him, Tomoyo was so nice to me. That's when I found out that we had so much in common and I was blind enough to not have been able to notice that. On the night when you came to Tomoyo's house, I thought I was finally over you but it turned out that I wasn't. That's when I told you I was in love with you." 

"But fact was, you weren't and you couldn't do anything about it anymore," Sakura uttered. 

Eriol reluctantly nodded. "I didn't want to hurt you the way I did before so I decided to keep it to myself," he replied. "Then again, I couldn't. The more I tried to forget about Tomoyo, the more I thought about her. And yesterday, I texted her to see how she was doing. I found out she was scheduled for a flight to Paris today at 7 pm." 

Sakura couldn't control the way she was feeling but somehow, she managed to say, "I... I understand." She stepped out of the vehicle. 

"Where are you going?" Eriol asked. 

"Don't worry about me. Go to Tomoyo right now. You still have time," Sakura retorted with a faint smile. 

"Sakura, I--" 

"Go! I don't want you to lose her because of me. I've caused you enough trouble," Sakura told him. "If you don't leave right now, Tomoyo is going to leave you and it's going to be all your fault." Eriol took one last look at Sakura before he closed the door and was soon on his way. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

could it be a cliffy? or an ending? tell me wut you want of it! one more chapter to go and im off to a new start! im already working on a new story.. im so happy i got this far *tear*.. hehe... byezzz for now! 


	21. True Romances ending

ive got good news and bad news for you all.. first, the good news... (ehem*clears throat*) woohoo!! last chapter at long freakin last!! can you believe it??? i finished my first ever ccs fic!! if it werent for all the readers who backed me up when i battled with my "plans of stopping", this chapter would never be here.. so to all of you who supported this fic, THANK YOU!!!!! you guys know who you are... if it were up to me, id give each of you a million bux or something... words are not enuff to express my gratitude... and i appreciate the fact that no one flamed me... jokes aside, you guys are the BEST! 

and btw, my sincerest apologies for updating sooo damn late.. as usual.. anywayz, this is the conclusion to my fic. no epilogues whatsoever. the bad news will come at the end of the story... love you guys!!ü

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

True Romances

Eriol was driving way past the speed limit already. He was much too eager to catch up to Tomoyo to take the annoying speed limit into account. Just as luck would have it, there was no policeman in sight. Eriol took advantage of this as he stepped on the acceleration pedal and the wheels screeched on the road. Eriol checked the time: half past 6 already. 'Damn, I have to get there on time,' he thought, impelling his car in between the other cars. 'I have to catch up to her no matter what!' Eriol told himself. 

~*~

Meanwhile, Sakura wandered around in the park until finally, she arrived at the site of the cherry blossom tree. She sighed as she found a place to sit on. She had gone to that same place twice already. Sakura couldn't believe she actually forgot the things that happened there and the special people she was with. She scoffed to herself and whispered, "So this is what people call karma. This is what I get for hurting people, huh?" She sighed once more. "I guess you won't know your need for the person you love until the day that he'll be gone." 

~*~

Eriol looked ahead of him. There he was, right in front of the airport but the god damn traffic won't let him through. He slammed his fist on the steering wheel and started cursing the cars, which were all in his way. It almost seemed as though the other drivers were intentionally blocking his way to the airport. He was so upset that he started honking like crazy. "Get out of the way! I have to get to the airport as soon as possible!" he yelled. The drivers of the cars in front of him all turned to him with a glare. 

~*~

Sakura sat there in boredom, still feeling so downhearted. She realized that not only did she bring sadness to Eriol before but she also gave Syaoran a hard time. And with that, she lost both of them, leaving her all alone. She too was hurt and she thought that this must be God's way of making her pay for all the pain she had caused. Sakura could not believe that all this was happening because of her. She looked up at the sky, only to see it darken with clouds. It was dimming and in no time, the rain started to fall. 

~*~

Eriol was getting impatient. He knew he was just wasting his time by sitting there in his car in the middle of a congested road. He started to worry if he'd even get to Tomoyo on time. He pulled out his cellphone only to find out that his battery needed charging. He shoved it back in his pocket and got fed up with all the trouble he was getting. He removed the keys from his car and put it in his pocket along with his useless cellphone. Eriol got out of the car just when it started drizzling. He grabbed his jacket and put it on him as he made his way to the airport on foot. 

~*~

Sakura was stranded with only the thick leaves of the cherry blossom tree to shelter her from the rain. Never had she felt this forlorn in her entire life. Eriol left her because he loved her best friend. Sakura knew she just had to let go. There was no use for crying over a guy again. Somehow, she knew she had had enough of that. And besides, not even her tears could help make up for every stupid thing she had done in the past. Sakura bit her lip to keep herself from crying as she folded her knees to her chest and tucked her head in. 

~*~

Eriol arrived in the airport in his now damp garments but he didn't care. He had to find Tomoyo or he might be too late to stop her from leaving. He quickly headed for the "customer service" stand and asked about Tomoyo's flight. "Is the plane for Paris still here? It's really important. My friend was scheduled for that flight so if you could please hurry up to see if it left by now," was what we said. He silently prayed it had not gone to its destination yet. 

The girl in the stand then replied, "Sir, you might like to check the board up there." Eriol stared at her in disbelief. Couldn't she just have answered the damn question? He got the thought off his head and looked for the board the girl was referring to. 

The plane for Paris has departed. He was too late. 

If he had not wasted his time on the road, then maybe he could've caught up to her. Eriol clenched his fists really tight in anger. He found a chair to sit on as he thought about everything that happened. He screwed up big time and because of that, he was never going to see the one he truly loved. 

~*~

Sakura checked the time on her watch and found out it was already 7:05 pm. 'I wonder if Eriol made it on time. I hope he did. So at least there will be one happy couple around,' Sakura thought. She put her feet back down on the ground. The grass was a bit wet and the soil was soft. Sakura watched as the rain did not falter. It just continued to shower as it was. Then all of a sudden, Sakura recalled something again. It was probably because of the rain that she remembered the night of the accident. The time BEFORE the accident...

~*~

"I love you," Syaoran suddenly whispered to Sakura. Her eyes slightly widened in surprise. 

Sakura immediately pulled away and said, "What did you just say?" 

"Sakura, I think I'm in love with you..." Syaoran repeated himself. 

"Have you gone mad or something?" Sakura beamed out. 

"No, I feel like I do love you. I don't know why but hell, I know that's what I really feel about you," Syaoran talked back. Sakura started to walk away but barely keeping him behind. He followed her until they got outside.

"Syaoran, there's a difference between liking and loving sosmeone. When you think you have feelings for someone, you ought to have realized that there are certain risks in every step you take," Sakura told him. 

"If you love someone, you wouldn't care about those risks," Syaoran said, causing Sakura to go silent for a short while. 

"You do not know what you're talking about," she replied, putting emphasis on the words "do not". 

"What if I proved to you that I do?" Syaoran told her when he took Sakura in his arms by surprise and kissed her. Sakura pulled back and turned away. Syaoran had no choice but to release her from his firm hold. Sakura said nothing but instead, climbed in her car and left the area. 

~*~

Sakura was having sudden difficulties with her breathing but shortly after that, she was back to normal. "I remember now. He told me that he was in love with me but I was refused believe in him at that time-" Sakura uttered to herself. "-all because I was still hurt then and I didn't want to give love another shot," she continued as tears began to fall from her eyes. She put her hands on her face. 

~*~

Eriol looked down on the floor, refusing to face reality. He gravely regretted the fact that Tomoyo was gone, after all that they had gone through as just friends. Eriol felt a few tears build up in his eyes. He wiped them away, not allowing himself to let go of his feelings. His diginty was the only thing he had left after all. 

And just then, he heard someone call his name. The voice was very familiar. He looked up and saw a raven haired girl standing right in front of him. She was wearing the same old smile Eriol had always loved to see on her. It was her...... Disbelief shot through Eriol for a split second. 

He stood up and said, "Am I dreaming? Tell me I'm not dreaming. Is that really you, Tomoyo?" 

Tomoyo sighed. "No, you're not dreaming but yes, it's me. I'm still here, Eriol," came her reply. 

"But why? Didn't your plane leave already?" Eriol asked, puzzled by her presence. 

"Yes but I couldn't bear to not say goodbye at least," she said. 

Eriol smirked and answered, "I guess not." With that, he put his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Tomoyo. All this time, I've been so blind as to who I really love. But now I know better than to let this chance slip away from me again......"

"I love you." 

~*~

Sakura kept crying as if the world was about to crash down on her at that very moment. Her heart felt like it was being crushed by the rough hands of pain. For that, the tears would not stop falling. Then suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a figure of a person coming towards her. He came closer and Sakura instantly knew who it was. 'Syaoran...'

"I tried calling you but you weren't home. Then my best bud told me what happened. So, I figured you'd be around here," he spoke up first. 

'Best bud? Is he talking about Eriol?' Sakura thought. "What... what happened to him? And what are you doing here in the first place?" Sakura hesitantly asked, refusing to look at him with her tear-streaked face. 

"Eriol and Tomoyo are on their way here and as for me, I had something I wanted to return to you," came Syaoran's reply as he tossed something over Sakura. She caught it in her hands and as she opened them, she found the necklace Syaoran had given her before. 

She looked up at Syaoran. "But... why?" she croaked in wonder, attempting to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. 

"Listen. There's something I've always wanted to tell you. I'm in love with you. You make me feel unlike any way I have ever felt before. I'm madly and painfully in love with you. I just wanted you to know that, still hoping that you feel the same way," Syaoran replied. For the sake of her pride, she had to turn away. Sakura commanded herself to listen. She told herself to believe him. 

And she did...

Sakura tried to smile but her smile faded away into a pained expression as she threw her arms around him and started to weep. "Did I do something stupid again?" Syaoran just had to ask as he tried to make her calm down. 

"No. It's because you came when I needed you the most... and because I realized that I'm in love with you too.." Sakura answered as she let go of Syaoran. That's when amber crashed with emerald and the two were drawn into a fervent yet gentle kiss. That empty place in both of their hearts was finally filled. This love was all they ever wanted. This feeling of completion was all they ever needed. The rain was still pouring and they were both soaking wet but at that moment, nothing really mattered anymore. What was important was that they finally found what they both desired... a love worth living for. 

~**THE END**~

did you like the ending? i hope none of you are disappointed/frustrated... im just glad i got through all that in one piece despite all the s+s fans' attempts to massacre me.. hehehe..lol.. and yet, i live!! wahahahaha!!! (ehem) excuse my hyperness.. anywayz, on to the bad news... 

if you guys read one of my previous authors' notes, you wouldve known about my upcoming ccs fic... which i decided not to pursue for certain acceptable reasons.. yes, i know... not that devastating, huh? but i still consider it "bad news" nevertheless... so shoot me! no wait... *runs away* on second thought... hehehe... that's all folks! 

see you guys next time!!! mwaaahhhh!!!! luv, alexis


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